The Dragon Borne
by FallanNar
Summary: -Alternate Universe- Hyoudo Issei, a silent and peculiar boy transferred into Kuoh Academy. His utmost wish is to spend his teenage years as normal as he could. Yet, he found himself forcefully dragged into the Supernatural world. Where it all began with his first date.
1. Chapter 1 (08-19 14:47:42)

_-Chapter 1 -The Beginning-_

He smiled at her. A small smile, enough to convey a pleasant message to the red haired girl, but not quite a smile of friendly acceptance.

She returned his smile with her own mature and slightly seducing one. A smile that would leave most of the students as a puddle of goo, both boys and girls.

But fortunately, he is not one of 'em.

Rias Gremory.. one of the 'Kuoh Great Ladies'. Third-year, seventeen-years old girl. President of the Occult Research Club, or ORC to be short. Mature beyond her age. He noticed how she replied to every greetings she could with a warm smile, even if said greeting is slightly obsessive in manner. A reliable person, from what he heard from the other that have actually interacted with her.

He had never actually talked to her. Hell, he always keep a safe fifty-metre distance from her and her associates.

There's a certain air that whispers diffently around them. The first one he noticed was the Student Counsil President and also incidentally one of the 'Great Ladies', Shitori Souna.

The foreign looking girl has greeted him on the day he was tranferred here. And he noticed the air around her slightly distort, almost like the very air is trying to avoid touching her lithe body.

And after that, he saw all of the Student Counsil president's friends are the same as her. The Student Counsil and ORC members.

He made the wise choice of keeping his distance from them.

He removed his gaze from Gremory-san's form and concentrated on the halls of the Academy.

The Shinigami-damned school is as big as a Amaterasu-damned castle!

Who in the name of Bishamon did the design of this place? It was so freaking huge, it wasn't even funny!

Fuckin' architech! Didn't he thinks of the students? We are walking, you idiot! Not riding horses!

And he continued walking with a slight grumble about how the school is too big for people like him.

He had tranferred here for half a year and yet he isn't used to this freakingly huge school yet.

Magatsukami-damned showoff of an architect!

_BREAK_

At first, he thought he was hallucinating. But the sight of the girl that is nervously squirming and blushing infront of him efficiently dispelled his thoughts of that idea.

Amano Yuuma. A classmate of his just asked him out on a date? He expertly hid his unbelieving surprise with a smiling visage. Unfortunately, it did not help the warmness that seeped into his cheeks.

What should he do? Reject her? He doesn't want to hurt her feelings. But, in the same time, he doesn't want to form a deep attachments towards others. He never did saw this coming.

He was enrolled into this school due to his benefactor's choice, not because he wanted to.

Now, there's a girl asking him out on the bridge in the school's zen garden. What in the name of Hachiman should he do?

A memory struck his mind.

"Issei, I want you to remember this." A soft voice, laced with infinite patience and love for him. A woman, short brown hair framed her slightly wrinkled face. A smile slight but heavy with sincerity.

"Girls aren't just some things to use on your whim, to be played like some kind of toy. They are a delicate and complex being, Issei." He didn't understood why she told him this. He was just six that time. But the memory stuck like a particularly strong root into his mind.

"One day, one of these girls you met will be the one that loves you with all of her heart. And before that time, I ask of you to respect all girls and avoid making them cry. Can you do that, Issei?" He still remember nodding to the sweetly smiling face. A smile also on his own face, to convey his affirmation.

An old memory, ten years old to be exact. The time when he was still an ignorant child, always thinking of playing and having fun. Good days.. joyful days..

He was knocked out of his reminescene when he felt his blazer sleeve being tugged.

"Umm... Hyoudo-kun?" Her deep red coloured eyes looked into his light brown ones in askance.

Hoh, he had almost forgotten about her.

He shook his head slightly, then smiled at the now blushing girl. "I'm sorry Amano-san, but this is too much to take in at a time." And he's not lying. "The surprise just got to my mind, is all."

The girl let his sleeve go and did the impossible by making her face redder. Huh, is it safe to be that red? He is quite sure it isn't. All the blood rushing to her face would cut the amount of blood that flowed to her heart. She should probably stop that.

"I kn-know it's t-too fast, Hyoudo-kun! But it's just.. just.." Woman! Stop the stuttering. You're making him nervous!

A nervous Issei, is a dangerous Issei. His neighbor's dog could affirm that notion.

The afromentioned woman closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath.

She then continued, eyes still closed. "It's just that you are so sweet." She tried again.

Sweet? He's positively sure that he's salty.

"Y-you kept smiling at everyone, but no one wanted to be your friend. But, you just kept on smiling at them. Even if you're a-always alone"

If only she knows that he himself prefer it that way.

"And.. you always help someone in need. L-like that time w-when the Yamanaka-sensei w-was carrying our homeworks, and you o-offered your help."

Is it not normal to help someone in need? He thought it is. Maybe the people here aren't properly educated? That would not do.. not at all. Maybe he should tell this to the Civic and Morals Education Club? They would made a 'Civic and Duties Awarance Day'.

Yes, that would do. He should talk to the Civic and Morals Education Club president tomorrow. Yes.. tomorrow would do.

"Or t-that time w-when you saw a pregnant cat and fed her ev-everyday, even now, after t-the cat had given birth." She opened her eyes again but the twin red orbs are looking at everything but him.

Ah.. that cat. He knew how it felt to starve, he had that admittedly humbling experience when he gave a certain orphan siblings all of his salary, and he was forced not to eat on certain days to save what little money he had left. It have left him with less energy to spend everyday and a very, very distracting emptiness in his stomach.

It struck a chord seeing that pregnant but skinny cat meowing at him, asking him for food. He had fed the cat everyday to make sure she had the energy for a safe labor, and even after she had given birth, he kept on feeding her and her kittens to make sure they survived.

"A-and you always s-spent your days off at th-the local orphanage." She added, a small gleam of adoring and amazement in her eyes.

Now that caught his interest. He never told anyone about that, due to him not having any friend in this school. And the orphanage was in the other side of Kuoh City, too far for rumor to spread.

"How did you know that, Amano-san?" He asked, he couldn't stop the slight suspicious tone from entering his voice and the slight narrowing of his eyes.

He is an orphan too, the feeling of not having anyone to guide him is a norm for him. He's used to it, but never welcome it.

Empty, that was the feeling that accompanied him everytime he returned home. Where there was once a smiling face welcoming him home from a woman he infinitely love, now devoid of a the same warmness it once had, leaving a cold and lonely return. Where there ought to be a gruff but never harsh 'I'm home' from a man he deeply respect at exactly seven in the evening, now only the sound of cars passing by, no matter how long he waited.

It was a trying times for him. Adapting was as hard as accepting. Losing them left a neverending void inside him. So, that was why he would spare some time for the orphans. He wanted to show them that there are people who cares, who understand, and these people would always welcome them with open arms if they needed help.

It doesn't matter how big or small it is, let it be to help to decide which school they should attend to, or something as mere as helping them to comb their hair right before school. He would happily do it, just to help distract them from the familiar void that he have in common with them.

The caretakers in the orphanage were very kind to let him come every Saturday and fed him each time. According to them, the children have dubbed him, 'Saint of the Orphans', and the caretakers couldn't agree more.

Never before that day, had he blush that hard in his life.

"Umm.." the soft voice wafted through his hearing, effectively making him focus on the brown haired girl.

"This is embarassing.." said brown haired girl squirmed even more under his focused gaze.

She closed her eyes again and gave an answer that made his brain stop for a moment.

"I k-kinda f-followed you t-the last Saturday... and.. before that too." The last part was whispered softly, but his sharp hearing still caught it.

Did she just confessed that she stalked him? Maybe he heard wrong? He should really get the wax out of his ears.

"Excuse me, I think I misheard. Can you please repeat that?" He softly asked her.

"Geez! Hyoudo-kun! You shouldn't ask me to repeat something that embarassing!" The girl replied, surprising him with her lack of nervous stuttering.

He shook his head. "None of our schoolmate even spared me a second glance, leaving me alone and I prefer that. Yet, here you are, telling me you followed me to the other side of town on our day off, no least. Why did you follow me, Yuuma-san? What kind of person follows a boring guy like me?" He asked her, a small cynical smile on his lips.

The girl once again surprised him with her answer.

"The kind of person that fell in love with you, Hyoudo-kun.." It was soft, but unnervingly confident. Her eyes that just a moment ago shined with shy nervousness, now laced with steely resolve.

His jaw dropped slightly.

Love? This girl loves him? That kind of love?

This is certainly unexpected. Love is a big word. The word 'love' is not like the word 'crush'. Where a crush was just a simple attraction, love is a neverending acceptance. And by the looks on her face, she knows that too.

It is a confident declaration from her. And it dosn't escape him, how that confession took a lot out of her.

It took him a short while to snap himself out of the self induced stupor. The next thing he saw after he sobered up was the standing ramrod straight girl with eyes full of conviction and hope looking straight into his slightly wide eyes.

"So I ask again. Will you, Hyoudo Issei go out with me on a date?" No longer does the girl squirm in shy nervousness. This is the turning point.

Issei in his part, focused on Amano's face, in search of insincere glint. And fortunately, she shows no sign of lying or unsure. But the blush was still there.

This is so unfair. What with this atmosphere? The wind that blowed softly, wafted through her hair, making her already beautiful face look slightly more angelic. The setting sun that shot an orange hue on her face made it look soft and endearing.

So, so unfair.

He sighed with a smile. "Yes. Yes, I'd love to go out with you, Amano-san." The girl's eyes widen a tad. Her blush seems to intensify, but her body sagged in relief.

Maybe, just maybe, this is may be the girl that loves him with all her heart. The one that will accept all his misgiving and flaws. Maybe this is the girl that he was told of, ten years ago?

He does not know. But, he will try to make the girl happy, as per his promise to that one he once had.

He saw the girl's face exploded with a smile. And he couldn't deny that it is a beautiful sight. "Thank you, Hyoudo-kun! You won't regret this! I promise." The slight tremor in her voice didn't escape his focus.

"Issei. Just call me Issei." Someone close to him should call him with his given name, not some honorific.

Amano-san's smile grew impossibly more beautiful. That is just plain dirty play, right there.

"T-then, you could call me Yuuma." The girl squirmed a bit.

Issei stepped slowly into her direction and stopped a mere foot from her. The girl gave him a shy questioning look.

"I don't know how this is supposed to be done." He chuckled softly. "Heavens know I have next to none experience in these kind of stuffs. But I promise you this, Yuuma. Until the day you find me no longer interesting or 'sweet', I'll do my best to make you smile."

That was so corny! Damn! He knew he should have kept an open ear to what those dating couple say to each other.

But the message was sent. And the corny line was so worth it because the girl gave him a beaming smile after he said that.

He ignored a deep, menacing laughter that came from the depth of his mind.

_BREAK_

He looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Is this acceptable?" He asked himself again.

Black long-sleeved buttoned shirt with crimson red detailing and a pair of navy blue denim jeans clothed his frame. He looked like an aristocratic macho man, if he say so himself.

Oh, how he despise that image!

But today is the day he'll go on the first date in his admittedly short life. And the magazine he bought about dating, recommended something that look good but casual enough to perform any light to medium effort activities. So he chose these particular clothes.

He bought this shirt the day before he tranferred into Kuoh Academy, it gave a formal look yet it doesn't limit his movement. The shirt is not too form fitting, but it hugged his frame comfortably, enabling him to move freely.

The jeans are something common in nowadays teen's wardrobe.

'Alright, Issei! Re-check today's plan.' He mentally reminded himself.

'First, I should bring her out for brunch, then we head for the amusement park.. ahhh... the amusement park? The place is so damned crowded this time of week!' He slapped his forehead.

Today is Saturday, exactly three days since Yuuma asked him out. And he's ashamed to admit that he is nervous of this.

He shook his head, making his neatly combed hair flew into disarray. 'I should hurry. It's fifteen minutes before ten and the walk to the train station would take less than ten minutes. He should be there early, in case Yuuma arrived earlier than expected.

He grabbed his sweater and bag, then made his way out of his rented house.

His dating plan could wait for Yuuma. Besides, it's not a date if it's without mutual agreement.

_BREAK_

The day went on smoothly for them. They went to the amusement park, despite the crowd. And then he brought her to the orphanage to spend some time with the children.

It surprised him, that she wanted to go to said orphanage. It never crossed his mind that a girl would happily go to a place full of ferocious midgets.

Maybe, she have a screw loose? He should ask her if she had sustained any head injuries before.

She seemed geniunely happy while she is playing with the children. Eventhough the children were shy of her in the beginning, she gave them a friendly greeting and a soft, sisterly smile, and their shyness melted into childish enthusiasm.

It seems like the children are getting used to her, looking at how the children listen to her words like it is the command of the angels itself.

Holy shiet! He took a month or so to get the children used to his presence. Yet, this girl just waltz right in and gave them a smile. Then, Bam! They're the best of friends! They even ate their veggies after Yuuma asked them to!

Hell, no! He'd have to bribe them a lot of candies to make sure they eat their veggies! Those ungrateful halflings! A pretty girl came, and they treated her like a princess!

Insufferable midgets! This is a serious case of favouritism, I tell you! Unfair!

Maybe he should buy them the vegetable flavoured candies, just to make his revenge taste sweet.

Nah, they love every candy they get. Even if it's vegetable flavoured.

He then focused on the form of Yuuma. The blouse she wore is blue in colour and the pair of black casual trousers that hugged her form beautifully. Making her look like a caring older sister.

"It seems like the kids prefer your girlfriend more than you." A mature but soft voice broke him out of his reverie.

He glanced to his right to see one of the younger caretaker, Kujou Rin looking at the midgets and Yuuma with a soft gaze. Her brown hair tied in a ponytail, and she's wearing a short-sleeved white shirt and a pair of black trousers.

"Yeah.. the ungrateful chibis! I'll have my respect, dammit!" He pouted. "I bribed them candies for a whole month to make them open up to me. And now, Yuuma came in and not even for a day, they're the best of friends! So unfair!" He muttered with a faux bitterness.

The sound of her chuckles reminded him of the sound of wind chimes in a particularly breezy day.

"Issei-kun, the first time you came, it was with a bag of candies. We, the caretakers told them not to accept anything from a stranger, especially candies." Her bronze coloured pupil focused on his pouting face.

"I know." He sighed. A small smile made it to his face. "I'm glad Yuuma liked the children. It's our first date, and she really wanted to see them. And am slightly jealous to see the children readily accepts her." He admitted.

It's hard to find people that have the patience to focus on thirty or so attention-starved children. And even more rare to find a person that is happy to oblige said children request with a smile. And he is thankful for someone like Yuuma loved a person like him.

"She's lucky to have you as her boyfriend, you know?" Huh? Where did that came from. He turned his head to face the nineteen years old girl.

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? I mean , I'm just another guy, passing through his school days as normal as he could. Then a girl like her confessed to a person like me. Isn't me who is lucky to have her as a girlfriend?" He asked.

The dignifed face of Rin grew an unreadable smile and said, "You shouldn't sell yourself short Issei-kun. After you started to come here, the children aren't the same anymore. They listened to us more. Even the defiant ones are less likely to make a ruckus. And since you gave Isshin-kun and Matsuda-kun the money that they used to buy the cake to raise the morale of the children, they respected you more."

Ah.. he remember that time. The children were sad that they lost one of them to adoption, due to the loss of friend or that they have not yet to be adopted, he's not sure. But the gloomy air around the orphanage was stiffling.

He had asked the nine and seven years old sibling about it, in which they answered without hesitation.

"Mio-chan was adopted three days ago. We lost a friend." Was Shiba Isshin's grumpy reply.

"And now the girls aren't as happy as they used to be." The younger, Shiba Matsuda continued.

He felt the sadness practically radiated from them. In an orphanage, where everyone are close, losing one of them would affect their already small supply of morale. To them, every single one of them are the pillars that held each other to form a tightly knitted group of friends.

Losing one of the pillars wouldn't make the foundation fall, but it surely made it shaky.

Thus, he made it clear that they shouldn't worry. He had given all of his daily payment to the boys and commanded them to go and find a cake with one of the caretakers. And he went to personally to ask for permission from Mio-chan's adopted family to let her come and visit the orphanage.

He was lucky that the family was understanding enough, and they even went to the orphanage with him on that day.

The parents promised would being Mio every weekend to spend time with the currently gloomy children. Raising the mood a little. And when the cake arrived, the children threw a congratulation party for their adopted friend.

The morale restored and the children would still be friend. He felt the rush of satisfaction invade his small, fragile heart, on that day.

That was also the day he recieved his moniker, "Saint of The Orphans".

His brow twitched in annoyance when he remembered that particular moniker.

Seeing the uncontrollable twitching of his eyebrows, Rin laughed, a dignified and purifying laugh.

Damned mind reader!

"Haa.. Issei-kun, I haven't laugh that much for days."

The twitching of his eyebrows intesifies. "Glad to see my suffering can bring some happiness in someone else." He deadpanned.

The girl just gave him a shake of her head. "The children and some of us caretakers deeply respects you, Issei-kun. And we appriciate every day you spent here on our orphanage. It brought a fresh sight to see someone cared for these childrens."

He just looked at the smiling Rin's face. It struck him that the brown haired girl is really beautiful. The small smile made her face look like an unreachable person. Like a diamond in display. Near, but untouchable. And now here she is, looking at him and him at her.

How the girl made him feel small.

She was raised in this very orphanage. She lost her parents when she was ten. Due to her parents are outcast from each family, nobody came to claim guardianship. Thus, she was raised here.

Right after she graduated, with flying colours, he might add. She refused many offers in further studying because she wanted to help the orphanage. She works on the nearby cars dealership as a saleswoman, and everytime she got her payments, she'd give them to the orphanage, to add up to the small amount of donations they accepted.

Anyone who got this girl's attention would be very lucky. So very, very lucky indeed.

Did her gaze just softened? Why is she looking at him like that? He gave her a small smile of his own.

So caught up in his staring, he didn't notice a slightly jealous gaze on them.

"Issei-nii!" A small and cute voice called out to him.

Both him and Rin snapped their head to the source of the voice with a slight blush, only to see the small form of a white haired girl who is staring at him with suspicious eyes.

"Why are you lookin at Rin-nee like that?" Kid! Don't ask questions like that with that loud, cute voice of yours!

"It's nothing, dear." Rin quickly saved him from the suspicious question of the girl. She glanced at the watch on her right wrist. "Have you washed your hands, little lady? It's almost time for dinner."

The small face exploded with a megawatt smile. "Yes, Rin-nee! I washed my hands with a lot of soap too. Look! It's sparkly clean!" The white haired girl held out her hands for Rin to see.

"Good, good. Now go and call the others for dinner. Mother Shinonone would be thankful if you did that." She softly asked the girl with a ruffle on her head, in which the little troublemaker giggled at.

The sound of patting feet accompanied the enthutiastic girl's light jog. And he watched her go with a melancholy smile. So young, so very young, yet she has already lost the persons she cherished.

"Would you like to join us, Issei-kun?" Rin asked him.

"Nah, it's already late. I need to send Yuuma home. Maybe next time." He gently refused the offer.

And for the second time that day, Rin gave him an unreadable smile.

"Be careful then. It's almost dark. And.." she paused.

A shiver shot through his spine, and he noticed how the air around them turned cold and deadly.

The smile on Rin's face that was unreadable, now turned sickly sweet.

"Don't you dare do anything uncouth to the sweet young lady. You hear?" He nodded so fast that he swore he can only see blurs of the smiling Rin.

The air around them turned normal, a fraction of a second after that.

How did she do that? Holy Molly! That is the most efficient way of threatening he'd ever seen before! Maybe she's a part of the local Yakuza? That should explain her adeptness in using her shinai!

He then collected his current girlfriend and said their goodbyes to the crestfallen kids. Yuuma, seeing the children who are about to cry, promised them that she'd visit frequently, bringing smiles to the children's face.

When they were about to leave, he saw the melancholy smile that Rin gave. Maybe he should ask her about it. It's bad for someone with a big responsibility like her to have too much stress.

Next week, he vowed. He'd ask her the next time he visit. Maybe he could lend a hand?

_BREAK_

For one to breathe, the person must have a pair of lungs to exchange the oxygenated air that was inhaled with the deoxygenated air that the body produce. And one must also have a heart to pump the oxygenated blood into the veins to pass the much needed oxygen for the body to properly function.

And Issei found himself unable to breathe due to the lack of his left lung and his heart.

The laughter in his head only made it worse.

He remembered the sad face of Yuuma, apologizing.

"I'm sorry." She said before the agonizing pain struck him.

Now, he's lying on his back, looking at the dark sky.

The sound of sobbing made him turn his head to the form of Amano Yuuma that was standing not a couple of feet from him. Her body was shaking.

Is she crying? Why was she crying?

"I'm sorry." Those words were choked out between her sobs. Her face, shadowed by her long brown hair. But it didn't hide the shiny pearls of water that flowed down her cheeks.

How he wanted to ask why. How he wanted to tell her that he's fine. But all that came out of his throat was some gurgle and wheezing.

Her sobs intensified.

"Why are you crying, Raynare?" A pompous voice sounded. But he's too tired to turn his head to see the owner of said voice.

He doubt he'll like the face. It must be a pompous and smug face.

Wait! What the hell is a 'Raynare'?

"Rejoice! For he would be one of our soldiers!" Said owner simmer into view. Black hair. Face handsome like it was carved by the angels themselves, but the effect was ruined by the arrogant smirk on his face.

Soldier? Who? Him? He's no soldier. He's a goddamned normal guy!

"He's a good person, Master Kokabiel. Is it really necessary to kill him?" Yuuma's voice dripped with regret.

'Master Kokabiel' sighed. He don't know how the man made him want to punch his head off with just a sigh. "Raynare.." he began. "Your attachment to this human is stupid." Issei noted that the arrogant douche regarded Yuuma with the name 'Raynare'.

So Yuuma's real name is Raynare? What a weird name.

Wait! What did he meant with human? He didn't like the sound of that.

"We are far better creature than them. These infested mistake of a creature, created by our God." Ouh! That bastard's gonna get it. Prick's gonna get it hard!

When he managed to heal these wounds, that is.

"We could have persuaded him! I could make him obey my words! It doesn't have to be like this!" Yuuma, or Raynare, he preferred the former, exclaimed. She lifted her hidden face to show her puffy eyes and red nose.

The prick just laughed at her. Issei resisted the urge to tell him to shut the fuck up. Not like he could, with him missing the left side of his chest, and all that.

"Such naïve thought, my dear Raynare. By nature, humans are disobedient creatures. The only way to make this filth to obey is to kill and revive him as an undead." He floated? Floated? The guy just fuckin floated!? Towards Yuuma with an unnatural grace.

Oh? They're reviving him into some kind of zombie? Well, that ain't good. Not at all.

But what can he do? He's too tired to move, and besides, the wounds are too much, even for someone like him. The laughter inside his head grew louder by the second.

"Is-Issei-kun?"

His blood stopped cold in his veins. Every fibre of his being screamed 'no!'

He ignored the searing pain and turned his head to the one that called out his name.

Yet again, his blood turned ice cold when he saw her. Standing at the edge of the park was Rin. Face pale like a sheet of paper. One trembling hands covered her open mouth, eyes wide with disbelief.

He noticed that the hands on her side was holding on to his sweater. The sweater he accidentally left at the orphanage.

He wanted to scream! To tell her to run! Go as far as she can from this place!

But he only managed to wheeze out blobs of blood.

Seeing his condition like that, the girl threw away his sweater and rushed to him, only to be blocked by Yuuma.

"Yuuma-chan?" The betrayal was thick in her voice.

"Leave. Leave now, Rin!" Yuuma's voice was stern, but it also held a pleading tint in it. "Leave, and you will be left alive."

"Ho-how could you say that? Issei-kun is bleeding over there! What is happening?" The tremble of her voice was heartbreaking.

Yuuma's posture rocked with a silent sob. "Please, leave. I don't want to take more lives than necessary." Pleading was her voice.

Puzzlement flashed through her face. Her eyes darted to his bleeding form, then to the sobbing Yuuma infront of her.

Rin shot the crying girl a steely look. She then lowered her head, making the light of the moon shadow her eyes.

"No." A whisper, but loud enough to be clearly heard.

She lifted her face to lock eyes with Yuuma. "I'll save him!" Conviction was clear in those bronze orbs.

He felt dread filled his stomach when a streak of light passed through his vision, aimed straight at the caretaker.

Those bronze orbs went blank when the streak of light shot to her shoulders. Evaporating a sizeable chunk of her shoulder.

"NO!!" Yuuma screamed.

An arrogant laughter filled with sadistic glee came from the one that launched that streak of light at Rin's shoulder. Disgusting sound it is, drenched in sick amusement in causing pain to others.

Face still blank, she turned her head slightly to the right, only to see her shoulder gone.

A blur shot from the edge of his vision to the front of Rin, blocking his view of the blank faced girl.

Kokabiel! He growled.

The man lifted his hand, a spear shaped light formed in his palm.

No! No! Please! No! Leave her alone! You wanted me! And here I am! Leave Rin alone!

He was forced to watch as the sadistic man stabbed the girl on her uninjured shoulder.

Her scream of pain made Issei's heart burned with something he thought, he had long forgotten.

The flames of Wrath!

He closed his eyes, ignoring Yuuma's cries, Rin's scream of pain and the disgusting sound of sadistic laughter, and reached deep into his conciousness.

Fuckin' scalebag! Time to pay your fuckin' rent!

The sound of the laughter he ignored before, filled his head. It was gruff, vengeful and smothered in controlled rage.

PROTECT THEM!!

A request?

No.

It was an order!

And the laughter turned positively maniacal in nature.

_BREAK_

PAIN!

It began like a whisper. Slowly, it danced across the park in like a silent wind.

AGONY!

It boomed. The whispers turned into a powerful bellow that shot through the air. It was so awesome that the very air itself vibrated from the sheer power of the voice.

THE EARTH ITSELF FEARS MY PRESENCE!

The earth shook, and the trees trembled in fear. Heat slowly seeped into the cold night air.

I AM JUDGEMENT!

The voice bellowed again. Effectively stopping every single living thing in hearing range.

THE INCARNATION OF HATRED!

Their eyes widened in shock. The pain of her bleeding shoulders were forgotten due to the shock in hearing those powerful sound. The sound is like a thousand men screaming the same thing in practiced unison.

I HAVE BEEN CALLED!

The beads of sweat that littered her forehead flowed into her eyes made her vision blurry. She blinked a couple of time to clear the slight prickly sensation in her eyes. Only for her focus immediately seek the bleeding Issei, only to find the boy standing tall, like a statue of guardians often found in the temples of old.

TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT!

The boy she last saw lying in a pool of his own blood, now standing, proud and stiff. The hole on his chest produced a red smoke, almost like it's burning, yet the smoke didn't produce any smell of burning flesh.

A red, spiky gauntlet with green lines fitted his arm. The green jewel at the centre of his hand glowed a menacing green.

SUMMONED BY THE ONE WHO WIELD MY SOUL!

Arms that were slender, now pulsing with sinewy muscles. His hair, that were brown in color, now have a red tint towards it.

TO PUNISH THE UNJUST!

His face was shadowed, but she can clearly see the place where his eyes should be, glowed emerald. It almost look like a twin orbs of green fire, burning in a fiery rage.

FOR I AM.. FIRE!

The temperature skyrocketed with unnatural heat.

She shuddered when the voice that is surely not Issei's came from his throat rushed into her hearing.

The power behind it, left her feeling hopeless. Made her feel desperate to run away, for the owner of said voice was outworldly strong, if she stood too long in its wake, she'd be crushed by the mere pressure of its presence.

FOR I AM.. DEATH!

He smiled. It was not the small and sincere smile she's used to see the boy give. This smile is blood thirsty in manner. Seeking amusement in breaking the people that stood on his path.

And the sadistic man was the only person that stood on his way.

REJOICE! INSIGNIFICANT BEING!

Yuuma, she noticed, stood infront of her. Sheilding her from the blast of heat that came rolling off the enraged boy.

FOR THE GREAT WELSH HAS COME!

Those burning orbs of emerald locked on to the man that caused her pain. And in the edge of her vision, she could see the man trembled in fear.

The arrogant smirk now replaced with open mouthed shock. The sadistic laugh replaced with gibberish vocals.

She wanted to laugh. How does it feels now? To be the one on the edge of the blade?

The smile on Issei's face reminded her of a particularly vicious snake, that just cornered a big, fat and stupid pigeon.

TO BURN YOUR PITIFUL SOUL FROM THIS PLANE OF EXISTENCE!

_Ch. 1 END_

Author's Note

Well, that's it. It's my first time writing a fic, go easy on me, yeah? English is not my native language, so you may notice some spelling or grammatical errors, and it would make me really thankful if you kindly point them out, that I do.

It has been three years since I've started reading fanfic. This is the first time I had the confidence in my usage of English to publish my own version of a fic. I am fond of some DxD stories, but 'End Game Version R' by Kur0Kishi, 'A Demon Among Devils' by The Crimson Lord and 'A Demon Lord's Hero' by Fahad09 are one of my few favourites. You might find some similarities in writing style.

Oi, I'm sorry, okay? I'm still new in this writing business, I'm still struggling to find my own writing style. So, cut the newb some slack, eh?

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. And I accept any kind of critique. Be it harsh or considerate, as long as it have constuctive advice.

Oh, I'm looking for a Beta Reader, yeah. If anyone is interested, please, do send me a PM.

That's it. Keep calm and keep reading, eh?


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2 - Explainations-_

Rias Gremory, the current heiress of House Gremory, one of the seventy-two Last Pillar of Pure-Blooded Devil, sister of the current Lord of The Underworld..

is currently confused.

When she arrived at the park where there was reported to be a boundary field, she expected to see the remains of a battle. Or probably, the people that is still battling. So she had prepared her Peerage for a fight.

She didn't expect to see three normal looking people, two of them which she knew of, sitting closely together, at the centre of the park.

The resident Fallen angel in disguise, Amano Yuuma in all her Fallen glory.

Her blouse was torned at the backside due to her releasing her wings for the world to witness, her broken wings.

She's just sat there, blank faced and wide eyes, almost like something unbelieveable just happened.

To her right was a boy, that is holding another girl that is drenched in blood.

When she first saw the girl drenched in what look like her own blood, she was ready to send Akeno to heal the girl. But said girl was happily chuckling to whatever the brown haired boy told her.

And she noticed that the boy is none other than the Academy's outcast, Hyoudo Issei.

The boy held the girl close, ignoring the blood soaked girl's form. Their forehead touching, lips mere inches apart. His lips quirked up in a mischievious glee.

The boy looked different. Too different. She have known the boy to always hold a small smile. A smile that always showed respect but never friendly enough to attract any permanent companion.

But, now, the smile on his face was free. Almost liberating. That was the first time she ever saw that kind of smile from anyone.

The air around them practically glowed with something akin to happiness. She couldn't help but smile along.

Slowly, they stepped into the trio's view, slow deliberate steps to show them that they are harmless. By the looks ot the fresh embers on the ground, the battle are still new.

In hope not to provoke the undoubtfully still adrenaline filled teenagers, they showed themselves.

The trio slowly focused on their forms.

"I wanted to say 'Good evening'." She paused to have a brief look at the surrounding. Where blood were splashed like a particularly thick dye, where craters of variant sizes littered the ground. What seemed like a fountain, now lay in broken ruins.

Ah.. that's the battlefield she expected to see.

"But it seems that the circumstances aren't in agreement with me." She smiled at them.

Amano Yuuma wide eyes, now narrowed in suspicion. "What do you, devils want from us?"

She saw her Queen's hands twitch. A look she sent Akeno, is that of a accepting smile.

"Nothing much, Amano-san. Just some information on what happened here." She replied to the Fallen's inquiry.

"Kokabiel happened." Short and brief was the Fallen with broken wing's reply. But it was information nonetheless.

"Kokabiel?" She paused, remembering the name that have been said. "Kokabiel, one of the original founders of the Grigori? That Kokabiel?"

Yuuma let loose a strained sigh. "Yes. That Kokabiel."

"What would he want from any of you?" The question was directed towards Issei and the girl he held.

Said boy just gave her the small smile she always saw he gave everyone. "I'm tired." He said.

"And Rin's still not fully healed," his eyes redirected towards the girl in his arms. "It'd be better if we talk about this tomorrow, Gremory-san."

She glance at Akeno, and said girl nodded at her. "If you want to, my friend here can help quicken the healing process with her magic."

Hyoudo-san's eyes widen in puzzlement. "She can do that?"

She nodded, then Akeno slowly stepped towards the boy. Smiling a soft, sisterly smile all the way.

When Akeno was shown of the wounds on the girl's shoulder, her eyes widened a bit.

"My, my.. ufufufu. It seems that this wounds are treated halfway done." Her eyes darted to the Fallen, kneeling near them. The wounds are healing, yes. But the veins aren't knitting themselves together. And the flesh still smelled burnt.

"It's a wonder how she's not in pain." Akeno eyes concentrated on the wounds.

Said Fallen's face turned sheepish. "I'm sorry. That was the best I could've done." It wasn't directed at Akeno, rather it was directed at the wounded girl.

"And I'm thankful for that. Trying your best is all I could've asked for." The blood-soaked girl finally let out her voice.

She smiled at the sheepish Fallen. "At least, the pain lessened."

The brown haired girl focused on Akeno's smiling visage. "I'm Kujou Rin. A caretaker at the local orphanage." She introduced herself with a smile.

"Himejima Akeno, at your service."

Rin nodded, then looked at Akeno's glowing hands. "Thank you, Himejima-san, for this. I'm afraid I can't repay your kindness right now. Seeing that my arms are currently out of service."

"Ufufufu.. no need for that, Kujou-san. I'm only doing my best in fulfiling my King's orders."

Akeno's eyes widened, and an involuntary gasp. The girl shot her a questioning look, but she effectively ignored it in favor to keep on healing the burnt flesh.

Her lips set into a grim line, she then closed her eyes. "I'm afraid," she paused, "you won't be able to use your arms anymore, Kujou-san."

"Wha-what do you mean?" The girl asked her, eyes confused, now wide.

She glanced at the boy beside the girl, who's face morphed into a pained expression.

"I've healed your veins, reconnected all of it. But, your ligaments.. they are burnt beyond repair. It was burned with Holy magic. Concentrated light, it burned your ligaments too much." She locked eyes with the girl in which she healed. It's a wonder how the girl isn't currently screaming in pain. This kind of wound would leave anyone, Devils included, in a state of unbearable pain.

"You can't heal it?" Oh, how she hated that pleading look. It made her feel inadequate.

"I'm sorry. But this is something not possible for me. Maybe you should go to a hospital?" She suggested.

She heard the sound of a deep, regretful sigh, she turned to the source and saw the Fallen angel, Yuuma, with a miserable expression on her face.

"I'm sorry.. I so very sorry." She apologized to Rin.

"We'll find a way." Issei suddenly stood up with a dancer's grace.

"Today, is an eventful day." He smiled.

"And I'm thankful everyone survived that encounter." Here, his face turned unreadable.

She retreated behind her King with an apologetic smile, in which Rin returned with a soft shake of her head and a small quirk of her thin lips.

"What about you, Amano-san?" Rias adressed the Fallen with the broken wing.

"She'll be coming with me." The voice of Hyoudo Issei cut through before the Fallen could reply.

Akeno, Rias and surprisingly, Yuuma, shot him a disbelieving look.

"I'm afraid, I have to say no to that. Amano-san should be questioned of her involvement in this, Hyoudo-san." The Gremory heiress reasoned.

"Yuuma, is under my protection." His voice turned deep. "She'll be with me tomorrow. You'll ask her your question then." In that moment, Akeno could've swore his eyes turned green for a fraction of a second.

"Very well, please do make sure the three of you will be present at school tomorrow. This incident should be made clear to us." Her King relented.

All of them teleported to Kuoh Academy and went on their seperate ways.

But before anyone from the ORC left, Koneko made a surprising announcement.

"Dragon!" Koneko's usually stoic face paled for a moment.

Rias turned to the Nekoshou. "What?"

"The boy's scent.. it is of a dragon."

That statement made they lose their sleep that night.

BREAK_

Splashes of blood hit his face. Two smiling faces, two faces that hold unending love towards him. A soft face of a woman and a defined face of a roguish looking man.

Wings! Batlike wings. Black like the darkest of nights.

Laughter. Cruel and sadistic.

His chest tightened. Breathing was getting hard.

"What will you give? What are you willing to sacrifice, in order to save them?" Gruff, and hoarse. Voice that belongs to an outworldly being.

"EVERYTHING!"

And the world turned crimson.

BREAK_

He didn't go to school today. Seeing the girl that lost the use of her arms because of him, is currently stayed with him. He didn't saw school as important.

Kujou Rin.. the caretaker.

He sighed.

This is why he never deemed it necessary to have any close relationship. The reason he rejected any notion of friendship. Why the world and it's inhabitant reject his very being.

He hurt. A being like him, not a human, nor a dragon, is an unknown. His power attracts the bad kind of attention, and he knows it.

He had told her of his power. His borrowed power to be specific. How a part of himself is a dragon, and how it would hurt her more if she associate herself with him. And she could leave, as soon as they've managed to heal her arms.

It hurts him to tell her that. It is rare for humans to accept his being. To resist the rejecting aura that he's aware surrounded his person. But, it must be said. The risk of staying with him are high, and she deserved to have the choice to leave. After he had found a way to heal her arms, that is.

On a completely unrelated note, the glare she sent him after she told him that, could've made the dragon inside him shiver.

Now, he found himself facing her glaring eyes.

She's wearing a long sleeved white shirt, that is a little bit too tight in the chest area. It was unavoidable. That shirt belongs to him, afterall. And he lacked the.. 'asset' that the girl have. Her long legs are clothed in his trousers, that fortunately fit her like a glove.

"If you're uncomfortable in that shirt, I could give you a sweater to wear, instead. Would you like that?" He asked softly. Coaxing in his tone.

The girl kept glaring at him. Ahh.. she's still sore about him goading her to cut all connections to him.

Don't you glare at me like that, woman! I gave you a choice! Not forcing you to do it.

Given, he pushed her into the direction prone to her choosing to leave..

Okay, it may be a little bit his fault.

Maybe he shouldn't have told her about that memory erasing bit?

Could you blame him? On his first date, he found out that the girl he's dating was plotting to turn him into a somekind of undead soldier. And not to mention, said girl is also a Fallen Angel!

That is the prime example of the wrong kind of attention, right there!

He knew the slight itch on his arse yesterday's morning was a bad premonition!

Thinking about a certain Fallen reminded him..

What the hell is taking Yuuma so long?

She left almost an hour and a half ago, to inform the Gremory that he wishes to speak in the confines of his home about the 'incident' yesterday.

The walk to the Academy should take fifteen minutes, considering she didn't leap from roof to roof, like some modern time ninja.

The school hours should've ended by now. What's holding her? Be quick dammit! Rin's glare is getting scarier by the seconds.

He wondered if he turned his back on said girl, would she bite his head off?

Hmm.. maybe he should wait for Yuuma to return before relieving his bladder of all the excess water it contained? Yes, that would be wise.

"Why?" He quickly focused his eyes to the sitting form of Rin, and shot her a questioning look.

She sighed. "Why do you want me to leave you? Why do you want to erase my memory of you?" Her tone was soft, but there's a hint of steely anger inside.

He closed his eyes, feeling a slight headache coming his way. "It's the best course of action. By erasing yours' and the people at the orphanage's memory of me, it would ensure all of your safety." He opened his eyes, only to find Rin not a metre apart from him.

When did she move? Holy..! Is she somekind of super ninja? He hoped not. Yesterday's shock in knowing the Fallen are hunting his ass is enough.

He didn't want anything to do with supernatural beings for at least a month.

He avoided her piercing gaze. "Besides.." he paused. "It's better not knowing me at all. It will just bring everyone unnecessary pain." He whispered. "I'm fine with that."

The smell of lilac hit his sharp sense of smell when Rin stepped closer. She then placed her forehead onto his.

Funny, he remembered the girl was shorter than him. How did she make him feel this small?

"You're lying." Her breath hit his lips. Her voice is oh so soft in his hearing.

"Lying is a big word, no?" He smiled cynically. "I'm just telling half of the truth."

"Then tell me the whole truth." She pleaded. She removed her forehead from his to give him a searching look. "Tell me, what you really feel."

He didn't want to. But hearing her pleading tone, made it hard for him to deny her request. "Painful, lonely.. empty. Knowing that whatever I do, nobody would accept something like me."

"What are you?" She asked him, that searching gaze still on his face.

"I don't know.." was his brief, honest reply.

Only humans, plants and animals are accepted in this world. That is why, when he saw the air that danced differently around the some of the people at school, he already know that they aren't human.

Nature rejected them. An unnatural being that was not supposed to be on this world. That is why some Devils and Fallens use their magic to cloak their existence. Immitating human so that the mortals wouldn't recognize the rejection of Nature.

Oh, he knows. He knows of them.

The creatures with wings. Those who lurks in the shadows. The creatures that originated from Hell. Their Hell, at least.

He's saw the real Hell. The original. And no living creature would survive in there. Devil or not.

The first time he saw them Devils, the creatures didn't use any kind of disguise. They just came. With all their Devil glory. Unlike the Gremory and her Peerage, who hid her wings and powers. So he didn't know of their Devil blood.

But after seeing the teleportation circle with the complex, tribal design, it clicked within his mind that the Gremory and her cahoots are Devils.

So, the Student Counsil president is also one.. huh, he's been around Devils.

If he tell his benefactor that school felt like Hell, it wouldn't be a lie, wouldn't it?

With all that Devil running around, and all that.

"Issei-kun? You're blanking out again." Rin's voice forcefully shove him into the real world again.

"Ah.." he replied with a daze.

The bronze eyes of said girl are questioningly looking at him.

"Either way.. I think I know who can heal your wounds." He changed the subject.

"Really?" Rin's voice was hopeful.

"Yes." With a price.. possibly his soul.. or his firstborn child. But she didn't need to know that.

"Well, now I know, I wouldn't have to put down my Kendo lessons." She smiled wide.

"Yea- Wait! You're learning Kendo?" He didn't know that. Well, given he didn't know anything about the girl.

"Teach 'em. I teach people Kendo." Was her smug reply.

Ahh.. so that's why her hands are calloused. He like that. Women should know how to protect themselves. Especially in this age, where the world is infested with those disgusting, despicable, better-dead than alive rapist.

His eyes flashed green. But all he could see was red. Oh! How he dispises rapist. If he ever get his hands on one. He'd burn them to the bone, alive.

"Issei-kun? Your eyes turned green. Are you okay?"

Her voice was like a bucket of ice cold water, splashed onto his burning, dark thoughts.

"Yes, I'm fine, Rin." He really need to put his head in the game. It would cost him dearly if he found himself blanking out in the middle of something inportant.

He look at the girl that is currently way inside his privacy zone. Then he felt a smile grow on his lips.

"Remind me again Rin.." he watched as the girl tilted her head in askance.

"Why are you so close?"

Her soft, pale face exploded with an atomic blush.

"Wh-wha.. i-it's.." she stuttered? Stutter? Whatever it is, it's entertaining to watch the always dignified girl lose her composure.

"Issei-kun! That was mean!" But she didn't move from his privacy zone. Did not she know that glare is only effective without her blush?

He guessed not. Seeing how she blushed and glare at the same time.

Hah! Is this what they call Tsundere?

Nah, tsundere only exist in those harem anime shows, no?

He glanced at her shoulder. The wounds are closed. But she still couldn't move her arms.

And it's all, his fault.

If she didn't came yesterday, she'd be safely unaware of all this shit. If only he didn't leave that sweater at the orphanage, she wouldn't have to try and return it to him. If only he didn't tell her that they'd stop at the park to take in the view, she would have waited next week with said sweater. If only..

She must've noticed his gaze and his frown, for she voiced, "It's fine, Issei-kun." Her voice silky, smooth and reassuring.

"It's not fine Rin. Not at all. Yesterday, everything was normal for you. Now you're dragged into this shitstorm of unnatural shit." He couldn't stop his cursing. Looking at her shoulder made his blood boil.

"And many more of those unnatural being walk in human skin. Stronger than Amaterasu-knows what." He focused on her face.

"How can I make sure you're safe? How can make it so that you'd be protected? What if I'm not there? What if that Fallen come back and tried to find you?" He asked. Voice thick with regret.

She placed her forehead onto his lips. Effectively stopping his tirade.

"You're strong, Issei-kun. You beat that douche, yesterday. Didn't you?" Oh, how he wish he had her confidence.

He gently pushed the girl's forehead from his lips.

"I got lucky yesterday, Rin. That Fallen wasn't prepared. He thought that Yuuma have weaken me enough to turn me into his soldier. And The Welsh Dragon didn't want me to die.. yet." He made it clear to her.

He got lucky, that was what happened yesterday. The Fallen was unprepared, not expecting that he would be retaliating. The douch was sure that he's dying in, and that's exactly what happened yesterday.

If Rin didn't came, he was sure he'd die there.

He was lucky that the dragon inside would cooperate. Obeying his 'order' to protect Rin and Yuuma.

He gave the dragon his body, temporarily that is. But still, it was a miracle that said dragon didn't go to a bloodthirsty rampage, but kept on assaulting the overconfident Fallen.

Dragons never obey. They tolerate, never obey. He was lucky the dragon wanted to break the Fallen so bad, said dragon didn't deem it necessary to hurt anyone else.

Luck.. it was all luck.

"It's fine. It will all be alright." She reassured him.

"You'll protect me, like you did yesterday. Eventhough the dragon got your body, you still didn't want to hurt me, or Yuuma." He didn't need to see her face to know that she smiled serenely.

The way her voice danced into his hearing, made it really hard to stay in his depressing thoughts.

So he didn't.

"You know.. if anybody would see us now. They'd say you're a pedophile."

Her head snapped upwards to look at him. It was so fast, he was sure that she'd get a nasty whiplash.

"I'm just three years older than you." Her voice was filled with faux indignance.

"What was it you told me yesterday? 'I watched you everytime you came to the orphanage. How you made me interested in a boy whos always tried to help the children with a small smile.' Yes?" He recalled something she told him yesterday.

She hid her face on the crook of his neck. "It was the atmosphere, I swear!" He voice was muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"Yeah.. And that kiss?" Ohh.. he's so gonna get it. But it's so much fun!

Sharp, stinging pain hit his shoulder, and he knew Rin was too ashamed to say anything, so she resorted to violence.

"Rin. Stop it." He deadpanned. Sure it hurts, but nothing he couldn't handle.

"No!" She replied.

"I never thought you'd be the kind of person that resort to violence this quick."

"I always saw you as the silent and patient type." He told her.

She ignored him and put a bit more force into her bite.

"That's gonna leave a mark, you know? What would I say when people asks about it?" He asked the girl whos teeth is too sharp for her own good.

"Tell them your girlfriend gave it." She replied. He's sure the warmth on his neck was caused by her blush.

"Hooh? I thought Yuuma took a bite off my chest. Not on my neck." He teased.

The force of her bite intensified. It actually hurts now.

"Not that girlfriend!" She scolded.

"Ohoo.. so you approve of polygamy?" His tone is mischiveously evil. "It's quite rare to find women that approve of polygamous relationship." He made it sound like an offhand comment, all the while internally laughing.

She let his neck off her bite and glared at him.

But it didn't last long, for she smiled softly at him. Which he returned with his small one.

Well, this feels great. The silence was welcomed. Her bronze eyes was twinkling with something he doesn't recognize. And it gave him this flittery feeling deep inside his belly.

She then close the distance between their faces. Lips merely inches away, one more gentle push, and their lips would meet.

"Ahem!"

Son of a..

That startled the both of them into alertness. He automatically put hiself between the owner of the voice and Rin. Eyes sharp and dangerous, he searched for the offending owner.

Yuuma stood behind the couch that Rin occupied earlier, her face was red with embarassment or sheepish regret, he can't decide.

"Sorry for being late." She started. Face still red.

"But it seems that not just the Gremory is curious of yesterday's incident. The Student Counsil are also interested in knowing."

"Well, where are they?" He asked the Fallen. His stiff posture sagged, and he could hear Rin's relieved breath from behind him.

Said Fallen directed her gaze to his right, he followed her sight and found the people he's looking for.

He didn't like the smiles on their faces. Well, he never liked Devils in the first place. But his view of their kind is kinda biased, so he decided to hate their teasing smile than to hate their very being.

"Good evening." Rin's voice cut through his silent musing, directed towards the group of Devils.

The smiling Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri stood infront of each respective club members.

"Good evening, Kujou-san." Rias returned her greetings.

"Good evening." The Student Counsil president eyes sharply locked onto Rin's form.

"I am Sona Sitri, or mostly known as, Shitori Sona in the Academy." She introduced herself to them. Well, to Rin actually, with him in the same school as her, it seemed stupid to intoduce herself to him.

Rin nodded. "I'm Kujou Rin. Nice to meet you Shitori-san."

"I still can't believe you managed to survive an encounter with Kokabiel." The bluenette shot. "You seem like a normal human to me."

"We are normal," he intervened. "We survived that encounter due to pure luck. But not without a cost." He pointed at Rin's shoulder with his chin. "Rin lost her ability to move her arms. It seems that the tendons are to damaged for it to be healed."

"I'm sorry." Sona's sharp eyes turned soft. But not apologizing.

"No, you're not." He retorted. His eyes harden when the bluenette's deep blue irises connected with his brown ones.

She gave out an 'I'm better than you' feeling, and it reminded him of the dick Fallen he fought yesterday. If she thinks she better than him, she better think again!

The blond behind the Student Counsil president bristled.

"You should respect the president, commoner!" The blond teen shouted. "She's far superior than you are!" Said blond released his killing intent.

Ahh.. so that's why she's giving that kind of feeling. There's someone who's contantly kissing her ass.

Is that a scent of dragon the blond gave? Surely, this blond guy is not a dragon weilder? He carries the scent of Devils too.

And why is the Great Welsh sounded angry? He felt the dragon's burning ire directed at the blond boy.

What the fuck?

The dragon inside him roared. The sound is like a thousand of avalanches happening at the same time.

It was deafening.

Unknown to him. His eyes turned green.

"Don't you talk to me like that, boy!" He growled. "You may carry the scent of a dragon! But you lack the scent of blood! And that scent of Devils on you?" He released his own killing intent, making everyone in the room tense.

"You dare defile our kin's blood with the taint of Devils? You useless being! It's not enough that you don't respect your superior! You had to make us look bad in the eyes of the world?" It's not his words, instead, it's the words of the Welsh Dragon.

"Do not make me remind you of your place, mongrel!"

This is the cost of giving the dragon temporary control of his being. The dragon's influence on his body would grow uncontrollably. And now, it's showing it's ire to the blond Devil.

The blond Devil that is now pale and shaking in fear.

He had to recover his control. It is not wise to lose it now. This apartment complex is brimming with inhabitant. If a fight broke out, it would be a sure bloodbath.

"Issei-kun, calm down." Her warm breath touched the middle of his clothed back. "This is not you. It's the dragon. Please, come back." She pleaded.

It worked.

The Welsh Dragon's influence receded back into the confines of his mind. It made him wonder, why did the dragon so tolerable with Rin? It's almost like the dragon listened to her pleading.

With the dragon's influence out of his being, his sight cleared of the red haze of bloodthirst, he apologized.

"I'm sorry for that." He shook his head and nodded to the close face of Rin in gratitude.

"It usually takes a couple of days to get the dragon's blood out of my system. Before it's cleared, I'm prone to lose my temper." He confessed. No use of hiding it. He don't want the Devils to treat him like a walking time bomb.

"It's fine Hyoudo-san, Genshiro-san hold much of the blame. He didn't deem it necessary to think before talking." The bluenette glanced at her shaking Pawn, eyes narrowed. "I'll make sure he's properly educated after this."

Said Genshiro shaking form shook with a renewed vigor.

He heard a whisper of 'coward' inside his mind, and he effectively ignored it in favor to watch the faces currently in his room.

Rias Gremory, Sona Sitri, Himejima Akeno and Shinra Tsubaki. 'The Great Ladies of Kuoh Academy', all four of them stood in his living room. He resisted the urge to smirk. Four of the mos famous women in the Academy isn't actually women at all.

She-devils? Oh, the irony.

Yuuto Kiba, the Prince of Kuoh, and the Genshiro blond stood dutifully behind the Great Ladies. Hah! He couldn't stop the snort.

Toujo Koneko, the Academy's mascot, stoic and unemotionless. The petite girl carries a scent he's familiar with, but couldn't put his finger on. Maybe it's wise to keep it quiet. He didn't want to be branded somekind of lolicon, seeing he sniffed around said loli.

Lolis.. he forgot they exists..

Wait! If lolis exist, so does tsunderes, no?

He really should be careful around these people. Have never he thought of the existence of these kind of people. Lolis, tsunderes and that kind. He always thought that they only exist in those animes or perverted mangas. Never in real life.

Seriously? What's next? A yandere?

No! Just.. no.

Rias clapped her hands to gather the attention of the occupants of his living room.

"Now, seeing all that tension passed us. I think it's wise to properly introduce ourselves." She said with that small seducing smile.

What in the name of hell is wrong with her? What could she possibly try to seduce in his home? His non-existent cat? Dumbass.

"I am Rias Gremory. The official heiress of the House Gremory, one of the seventy-two remaining Pillars of Pure-blooded Devils. The current head of the Occult Research Club, and also the legal guardian of Kuoh City, with Sona here." She signalled to said bluenette with her right hand.

"And, I'm Sona Sitri. The official heir of House Sitri, which is also one of the remaining Pillars." She look very professional. Huh.. maybe she practiced this everyday?

"The president of the Student Cousil and also a guardian of Kuoh." She continued.

The raven haired beauty, Akeno bowed before she began. "Himejima Akeno, Rias' right hand person and also her Queen." She introduced herself with a smile.

And so they intoduced themselves. In which he kept half of his attention at. Another half of his attention was directed at the bewildered face of Kujou Rin.

She looks like a child with that look on her face. Wonderment and curiosity adorned her pale, unblemished face.

Well, it's the first time she met a living, breathing Devils in the flesh, so to speak. And it may make the girl revise her view of said Devils.

Who'd expect Devils would turn out to be some beautiful, buxom girls who lived like normal people?

He didn't.

He plopped into the couch. He ain't standing all day! No sir!

And he invited the people to sit. Rin sat right beside him, while Yuuma sat right beside her.

The couch infront of them can't hold all of the Devils, so only the 'important figures' sat.

Looking at the coffee table, he was reminded that he didn't make any tea to serve his guest.

What a bad host he is.

"What exactly happened yesterday, Kujou-san?" Surprisingly, the still standing Yuuto Kiba asked the question.

"Umm.. I don't really know everything. But Yuuma would. I mean she's the one that..." Rin didn't finish her sentence when she saw the Fallen's face morphed into a regretful visage.

"I was the one that was tasked to lure Issei." Said Fallen finished Rin's unspoken words.

The Fallen returned Rin's apologizing nod with her own accepting one.

"Ufufufu.. It seems that Hyoudo-kun was too distracted to let himself fell for that obvious trap." Akeno teased him.

He gave the giggling girl a look, but he didn't raise to the bait.

Yuuma sighed. "Kokabiel wanted Issei to be one of his soldier." She winced a little before looking straight into his eyes. "We knew you hold a Longinus type Sacred Gear." She blanked out a bit. "Never thought it to be the Great Welsh."

The Devils gave him an appraising look. Except the blond Genshiro. He looks like he's having a serious case of constipation.

And an explosive diarrhea.

"Sacred Gear?" He asked. Never seen anything 'Sacred' on him before.

The disbelieving stare he got from the majorities would be funny, if he had the time to laugh.

"Hyoudo-san.. you don't know of Sacred Gears?" Sona asked him.

"Nope. Nothing 'Sacred' on me that I've seen before." He replied, he even included the handsign.

Rias sighed. "Sacred Gears are.. tools, if you may. Said to be given by the God of the Bible to the human kind to perform His miracle. These humans are called 'Gear Wielder'." The readhead explained slowly.

A roar from inside his concious made him wince. He struggled to keep his tenant in check.

Rias continued, unknown of his internal struggle. "Some of the Gears hold souls of creatures of old. In your case, The Great Welsh."

"Your type of Gear is that of a Longinus-type. Said to be one of a kind and powerful enough to kill a god."

"In simpler terms, God gave human tools to make miracles. These tools are the grace from God. Thus making it a 'Sacred Gear'." Sona intervened.

But he heard nothing of it. The roaring inside his head intensified to the point it is physically taxing for him to hold it in. He closed his eyes to concentrate.

It failed.

His right fist slammed the coffee table, surprising everyone with his sudden act of aggresion.

"There's nothing.." the voice that came out of his throat was not his own. It sounded old and angry.

"NOTHING! NOT A SPECK OF DUST ON THIS THING IS SACRED!" He involuntarily roared. He can only see red. The dragon have made himself known again.

"A prison it is!" He growled. "A prison! That siphon my power into this child!" His nose flared. Wisps of smokes coming out of said orifices.

"Your God, gave this to the humans? Do not say things you know nothing of!" His eyes burn with familiar heat of bloodhaze.

"Bastards!" He tried to recover his control, he really did. But the dragon was not relenting.

His eyes narrowed. "I'm trapped in this prison for centuries. Imprisoned behind reality by this thing. You have the audacity to call this.. this abomination! As Sacred?"

He noticed how the Devils are tense. Warily watching him.

"Do not speak, as if you know of this thing!" The dragon receded back into his concious.

He closed his eyes again to dispel the red haze of rage. Taking deep calming breath to cool his boiling blood.

What the fuck? Did he just cause him a major headache just to throw a temper tantrum?

Son of a..

When he opened his eyes, he quickly searched for Rin's form. Worried that she'd be hurt in his tenant's temper.

He saw her bronze eyes looking at him with a worried gaze. Why aren't she hurt? Normally, anyone would get hurt when the dragon released its influence. But not this one.. why?

Never look a gift horse in the mouth. He reminded himself.

"Are you done Hyoudo-san?" The stoic face of the Student Counsil president should make his respect for her rose. But the sweat that littered her forehead made him think twice. "It's lucky we made sure to erect a silencing barrier. It should be.. unwise to let the neighbours hear your tenant's outburst."

"Sorry." Short was his apology.

"Back to Yuuma-san's unfinished explaination, shall we?" The bluenette signalled to his right, where the Fallen sat beside Rin.

Said Fallen shook her head lightly to dispel the shock of her mind.

"I don't know why he's amassing soldiers." She locked eyes with the bluenette. "All I know is that he's taking an unhealthy interest towards Gear Wielders. And he'd do anything to get the Wielders into his army." Yuuma explained.

"You have no information whatsoever? That's doubtful." The Student Counsil gave Yuuma a skeptical look.

Yuuma only shook her head. "he never told us anything. He just told us what to do, and we do it. If we asks too much, he'll find a way to silence us." He can practically feel the disgust in her voice.

"It should be wise to be on the look out, then." Rias focused on the guilty faced Yuuma. "Is there anything else we should know, Yuuma-san?"

Yuuma made a thoughtful face. Then she connected eyes with the redhead. "You should watch the abandoned church on top of the hill. Something Kokabiel planned would take place there."

"Ufufu, you're suprisingly cooperative, aren't you?" He almost forgot about the girl.

The inquisitive looks she got from the devils was returned with a grim smile.

"I'm not loyal to Kokabiel anymore."

"You'd betray Kokabiel, one of the founder of the Grigori?" Sona asked her, eyes slightly wide.

"If you saw, what I saw yesterday.." the Fallen paused, eyes shone with fear.

"You won't call it betrayal. You'd call it survival instinct"

_Chapter 2 End_

_Author's Note_

So, yeah.. disappointing, I know.

I couldn't help but feel this story is kinda rushed. So I'd be revising my story's draft. that I'd do.

And those who gave those reviews. I thank you. I expected a few days before recieving any reviews, but you guys are awesome enough to review. To RevansStories, your suggestions are appreciated and under consideration. And thank you for the nice review yeah?

I'll be revising my drafts. This chapter and the second would be updated.. probably soon. I hope soon.

So yeah.. tell me if something is wrong with this chapter, yeah? I'll be thankful for that. It improves your reading experience and my writing skills. So yeah, be it harsh or considerate, I'll take any kind of advice. That I do.

Keep calm, yeah? And keep reading.

_Author's Note End_


	3. Chapter 3

_ - Chapter 3-_

_Dreaming of Dragon_

She looked at the normal looking, medium sized room absentmindedly. It's a basic but a fully functioning room, for a student, that is. Sky blue colored paint coated the walls of said room, giving a cool and calm air when entered.

A table and chair study set, complete with the neatly arranged books and a table lamp placed in the corner of the room, clean and well arranged, giving the impression of constant use. A single sized bed, white colored sheets, a blanket and a pillow, positioned right beside the double-pan window. Surprisingly, the bed was made neatly. A ceiling fan, devoid of any dust. It must've been cleaned in a scheduled manner.

A wooden cupboard sparsely filled with clothes, she noticed that none of said clothes are in any way fashionable. Just plain black long-sleeved cotton shirts and jean trousers.

Not that she's saying that she know of nowadays teenagers. But she's quite sure, that a growing teenager must have somekind of interest. Be it music, movies, social medias or that disgusting perverted magazines. A teen must have one or more of the above in their scape of interest.

But not this one.

He just made his room as basic as he could. The apartment is empty. Hell, she could count the furnitures in this apartment with her fingers, and it will still have spares.

The apartment is a medium sized one. Two rooms, a guestroom, in which she and Rin are using, and the main bedroom that she is currently in. A small kitchen, enough to fit a stove and a fridge, but it cannot fit more than three people at once. A bathroom and a toilet that can fit two people at most. And the living room, furnished with a coffee table and two loveseats.

All in all, a spartan apartment.

She couldn't deny, it is efficient and light on his bugdet, living like this. But, there's not even a television in this place. Come on! Even her, a Fallen Angel would like to watch some tv's once in a while.

It's not that she's fond with the human's entertainment, or that nonesense. But she found the silence.. suffocating.

Everytime she looks at the internal of the apartment, she'd find herself shivering, but not due to the cool breeze. It was the loneliness.

Eventhough she and the girl, Rin is here, the air hung with a silent sadness. Like how a mourning family's home, right after an impactful passing.

It was depressing, suffocating.. it's painful. Even with the constant sound of people and cars outside. It's still so.. silent.

How did he live in this deplorable place? Another question to be added into her list of already long unanswered enquiry.

Ever since Kokabiel ordered her to seduce the boy, she had followed him practically everywhere. Strategizing on how to lure said boy without alerting the resident Devils. Observing him to better understand his likes and dislikes. She was ashamed to admit, she stalked him.

But, the more she know his personality, the more curious she got. And the more she delved into the boy's life, the more she'd find herself questioning the boy's mindset.

Where people would constantly search for attention, he avoids them. Where they find amusement in laughing, he just gave a smile. If they asked him to join in any activities, he'd refuse with an apologetic smile. Should they happen to have a gathering, he'd be long gone before they noticed his absence.

How he'd make any conversation short and simple, but never was he rude. He'd always listened, but rarely speak. They even called him mute. Not 'the silent boy', but 'the mute boy'.

He's the anti-thesis of teenagehood. The unwanted. The unecessary boy. The ghost... The boy with few words.

But it never bothered him.

If anyone would make eye contact with him, he'd always give a small respectful smile. If anyone needed help, he'd unashamedly offer any kind of help he could afford to give.

Even if said person was the one who scorned him.

Without her noticing, she's already sitting on the single plain bed.

'What is with that guy?' She mentally asked herself. 'What made him so.. so.. accepting?' She unconciously gripped the clean, white colored sheet.

'What is his view? What is his point? What's his goal? He's so plain, not normally so, that is. But still, he holds one of the strongest of the Gears.' She released the sheet with a sigh.

'What made him so special?' She laid on the bed, her head placed comfortably on the warm pillow that smelled lightly of lavender. Eyes heavy due the tiredness caused by her raging thoughts and the calming scent of said cushion.

She closed her eyes with hopes to clear her frazzled mind.

'What exactly are you, Hyoudo Issei?'

And she fell asleep on the bed, belonging to the boy that is currently occupying her thoughts.

_BREAK_

First, she noticed the smile. It was not his usual small and respectful one. Instead, it was stretched in an expressive satisfaction. Sharp fangs replaced his once normal canines, piercing his unadjusted gums. It was unnerving to see the boy with such frightening smile.

Then she was distracted by a green glow. And she regretted her decision to look at the source of the luminous green.

His sclera, burned with unnatural emerald rage. Sharp with the steel of hatred. Alight with intense rage. His vertically elongated pupils focused with an intense, draconic glare.

And both, the glare and the smile was directed at a single point.

At the now pale-faced and sputtering Kokabiel.

FOR THE GREAT WELSH HAS COME!

Wisps of smoke slithered out of his stretched mouth when he exhaled.

The hole on the left side of his chest was already gone, but it was not his pale brown skin that was there. Instead, red scales of fixed, fingernails size, seemed to cover the place where the fatal wound was.

Unconciously, she slowly backed up until she can feel Rin's shivering form, right behind her. She need to protect the girl. It was supposed to be just one. One person that was supposed to die, that person is currently facing Kokabiel with that unnerving expression.

She's scared of the boy. Oh, she felt like running away, as soon as the the thick, unnatural heat shot from the boy. But she didn't want to leave Rin here, with those two creatures. The human must not die needlessly. She refused to stain her hands more with innocent blood. So, she chose to stay.

If she dies, she'll die protecting someone. Like how she always wanted ever since her wings are still pure, radiant white.

TO BURN YOUR PITIFUL SOUL FROM THIS PLANE OF EXISTENCE!

The voiced boomed again, cutting through the shock-induced silence.

But never did she saw his lips move.

'Where did the voice came from? From Issei? But his mouth was set in a smile, never moved.' Those were the thoughts that flashed through her mind. Thick, guttural, hoarse. Everything that would put your heart into a fit of fear, all packed in one voice.

It scared her.

If she would choose to describe the voice, the first thing that came to her fear addled mind is, old. The voice held a deep, guttural quality to it, yet it sounded so very old. Old with age and hate, smothered in flames of century old rage.

And Kokabiel knew it too.

The bloodthirsty Fallen has told her that Issei has never been seen using his Gear, so it seemed logic that the boy was spiritually unaware.

But he was proven to be severely wrong. Looking at said boy who should have died from his Tainted Spear, standing and releasing an unimaginable amount of power, has left him a gibberish sputtering fool. Standing there, too surprised to do anything, afraid of the Longinus-Class Gear that have proven to be combat oriented one. It was a fatal mistake.

For the possessed boy shot off with a resounding thud.

She saw him as a blur. The ground that once held him left with a burning crater. Like a bullet, he cut through the air with ethereal red and green glow, leaving a trail of neon light in his wake.

*THUD!*

*CRACK*

A rigid thud. Then, a sound of a particularly nasty crack sounded. Then a scream, not belonging to the wounded girl behind her. But instead, belonged to the sadistic Fallen.

"AAHH!!"

The world was a blur when she whipped her head to the place she last saw said Fallen. Only to see Issei's form, his left feet outstretched, . A trail of dust before him. Face unseen.

She followed the trail of dust, to find Kokabiel beneath a dented tree. His jaw hanging loosely. Face contorted in an ugly fuse of pained disbelief and an angry snarl. He looked hideously in pain.

Kokabiel reinserted his jaw into the socket with a wince. He then glared at the now standing still boy. Who's face was unreadable.

The downed Fallen got to his up on his feet with a warrior's grace. The he smiled sadistically. Mocking laughter errupted from his being. A turn-about of his emotion.

"You caught me off-guard, boy." His tone was light, almost giddy. She surpressed an involutary shiver that shot through her rigid spine when said voice seeped through her sharp hearing.

The Fallen's sadistic smile bloomed again. "Never again." He intoned smugly.

All the while, Issei's face remained in an unnatural casted shadow. Even the light from the lamp posts couldn't pierce the almost artifical shadow that hid the boy's expression.

Kokabiel produced a Tainted Spear in his palms, then leaped to the boy's direction with epic speed. His left arms bent backwards, ready to strike. And his right placed before him, the other spear held in a protective manner.

Crouched low, Issei waited for the Fallen's attack with a low growl. When the black haired Fallen was within his reach, he launched his right gauntleted arm in a straight jab. Aiming at the Fallen's smiling visage.

It was like a dance, she noticed. A deadly, fierce and furious dance of clashing powers. Where Kokabiel would thrust, Issei would deftly avoid.

A right spear swipe, he aimed at the boy's neck. Said boy hopped backwards, managed to avoid it. The Fallen followed by a downwards slash, blocked by Issei's crimson gauntleted arm.

Kokabiel was like a gracelike warrior of old, every movement was made with maximum effeciency and deadly precision. None of his steps were wasted, each move will follow with a fatally sharp blow.

While Issei, he move like a... a...

She doesn't know what word to use, it was a weird way of moving. He was like a brute, swinging his fists like an ape went berserk. Lashing out with a counter everytime Kokabiel attacked.

She blinked furiously. Though the black haired Fallen obviously have more fluid and graceful than the berserking boy, he never landed any decisive blow. The boy.. he parried, countered and blocked every single fatal strike aimed at his form with an effectiveness she'd never seen before.

'What the fuck? That is Kokabiel! THE Kokabiel! The former general of legions of Angels like she was, 'The Wall of Heaven' was his moniker. The one who led the one of the strongest Angel bettalion on Heavens. With those hands, he had laid Heaven's judgement to those peoples in Babylon.' Her thoughts shot.

The third strongest Angel that was not a Seraph level. Though he had Fell, his battle efficiency never detoriated. In fact, without Heaven's guidelines, he had grown into a bloodthirsty Fallen, killing Strays and Devils alike with ruthlessness.

Yet.. the boy made him look like his equal. Trading blows and catched onto the Fallen's speed. Blocking Tainted Spear with his crimson Gauntlet, fighting like a street brawler against an expert in warfare.

It was mind boggling. There, one of the strongest of the Fallen's rank, were in a standstill with a goddamned berserking street brawler. What in the Third Heavens is going on?

Maybe, just maybe.. they'd get out of this mess alive. And if they do, she'd apologize. Beg for it, if necessary. She never meant it to be this way. She just wanted to be able to walk amongs the Angels again. To be able to feel Heaven's touch on her skin. To look back and see pure white wings, and not the black crow-like one she has now. She'd just.. wanted to go home.

But her hopes were quickly dashed the next moment.

The black haired Fallen's right hand shot out, launching the Tainted Spear at the leaping boy. Said boy twisted his body to avoid the offending spear, and lost his balance in mid air. Kokabiel took the opportunity of the boy's lost balance and launched another sppear, in expectation of piercing the human's skin.

And pierced the boy's skin, it did. Just below his right chest. The spear was lodged halfway through, it sizzled and hissed, burning his flesh.

Sounds of gasping was heard, both from her and the girl behind her.

And Kokabiel laughed. And laughed. "Who's the insignificant being now, mortal?" He asked with an arrogant expression.

"Do you even know, who I am?" He stretched his arms wide, voice filled with vain.

"I am Kokabiel! The founder of The Grigori! The strongest of the strong! THE ONE WHO HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS OF DEVILS AND HERETICS!" He boasted, eyes mockingly locked onto Issei's prone form.

She didn't even dared to breathe. Has Kokabiel killed Issei? Now, the hope for Rin to survive thinned drastically. She'd have to take the girl away from here, while the vain Fallen was arrogantly boasting.

A glance to her back and she saw Rin with a wide eyed expression.

"We need to leave." She whispered urgently, her eyes darted from the unmoving girl's form and the arrogantly boasting Fallen.

The girl looked at her eyes. "Wha-what about Issei-kun?" The human asked, worried.

"We need to leave, now!" She left no room for arguments. Issei will be turned into his soldier. But the girl, she doubted Kokabiel would be merciful towards her.

"But-" The human's question was left unsaid as she landed a chop behind her slender neck to render her unconcious. They're in a dangerous situation, and they'd leave. She doubted Issei would want the girl dead.

Slowly, as silent as she could, she collected the girl's limp body into her right arm, hugging the surprisingly well built form close. And she unleashed her wings that she utterly loathed before.

A Tainted Spear formed in her left palm, just as a precaution if she'd needed to retaliate. She slowly backed away from the laughing Kokabiel and Issei's unmoving form, as soundless as she could, to avoid attracting the Fallen's attention.

She leapt in an attempt to escape, she shot. But, a painful impact on her back disrupted her flight. In a reflexive action, she let the spear go and twisted her body so that she will hit the ground instead of Rin.

A thud and her breath was knocked out of her chest. She gasped, taking much needed air into her breathless lungs. Her arms still cradling the unconcious human girl in a protective manner.

"Well, well.. what do we have here?" Kokabiel's voice drawled.

She snapped her head to the offending voice, and hugged the girl closer. Kokabiel hovered to her direction, stopped merely feets away from her form.

"Seems that you wanted to escape, my dear. And I couldn't possibly let you." He smirked.

"Stop this! The girl's memories of this can be erased. There's no need to kill her!" She stared at the hovering Fallen pleadingly. Rin shouldn't die here needlessly. The orphans needed her, and it would be devastating for them if Rin died.

Kokabiel sighed heavily in faux regret. "Now, now my dear Raynare. I know that. But.." His regretful visage turned into a sadistic smile in a blink.

"Her screams sounded so... beautiful. Don't you think so, Raynare?"

She hugged the girl more securely, and made it so that the unconvious girl look smaller. Kokabiel smirked, "What's this? You want to protect her? Do you think, you could protect her from me?" He asked.

She stared defiantly at the Fallen and summoned another spear in her left palm. "I did not follow you for this! This won't take me back to Heaven!"

Kokabiel disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving dust in his place.

*CRACK*

Pain! Sharp stinging pain struck her back! Her wings!

Teeth gritted, she twisted her head slowly to look at her wings. And saw said appendages in the smirking Kokabiel's hands, limp and twisted in a gruesome manners.

"You'll die here." His face looked positively evil.

She thrusted her spear backwards, in hope to stab him. Only for the spear to dissipate when Kokabiel blocked with left palm.

He smirked again and snapped her broken wings upwards.

Another crack, and she felt all her strength leaving her. Her hands went limp, and Rin fell onto the loamy ground.

She won't scream. She wouldn't let him have the pleasure of hearing her in pain. No!

She settled on glaring at the raven haired Fallen.

"Ohh! Such defiance!" He exclaimed giddily.

"Dear Lord.." his tone turned low and menacingly happy.

"I'll enjoy breaking you!" He continued, throwing her down, next to Rin's unconcious body. Weak and unable. Laughing like a maniac he is.

In her peripheral vision, she saw the crazed Fallen lift a Tainted Spear, ready to stab her.

'In some not fatal places. He'd like to hear me scream, after all.' She silently mused.

She placed her palms on Rin's face. "I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry, for not being able to protect you."

The spear fell, and she stiffened when the pain struck her.

She felt the burning sensation of the Tainted Light when it pierced the skin at her thigh, hissing, not unlike a hot steel dipped into warm water. Felt the biting heat digging through her nerves, like a thousand needles stabbed into one point.

But she did not scream. Not even a whimper. She won't! If the Fallen would torture her, so be it. If it buys more time for a thin chance that anyone would come and save Rin, she'd die for that thin chance.

And so, she endured the pain of Kokabiel's stabs. At her thigh, her waist. But, she still stubbornly stared at his face. Eyes sharp and steely.

A kick, connected at her face sent her reeling back into a tree with a nasty crack. Again, she gasped.

"You bore me, my dear." Kokabiel drawdled.

"Why won't you scream?" His face turned into a disgusted snarl. He then shrugged. "Huh, no matter, I'd get to kill you, then the girl." The Fallen glanced at her tired form.

Tainted Spear formed in his hands, and he readied to strike.

She closed her eyes, 'I really hope that the Devils had already known of this. The Boundary Field should alert them. I pray for your safety, Kujou Rin." She prayed.

A deep breath, and she snapped open her eyes in a most furious glare she could muster, to show one last defiant act, before her death. To let that sadistic bastard know, that she won't back the fuck down!

Kokabiel's expression turned furious, nose flared and eyes sharp. He threw the spear at her with bullet like speed.

This ends here..

*STUP*

Huh.. death is so.. painless? No, she can still feel her broken wings, her aching ass. What the fuck? Even death wouldn't welcome her?

She opened her eyes to look at.. the angel of death? No, no, no. That's no angel.

Let's see, black shirt, green eyes.. she was certain that the Reaper doesn't have hair though. And green glowing eyes..

What the..!

There stood Issei, his back facing her. His form rigid but strong.

"Oh, you're alive?" Kokabiel smirked arrogantly. Then he made a dismissive gesture. "No matter, I've killed you before.. I can kill you ag- ah!"

Her eyes widen epicly when she saw the speed Issei used. It was unreal! He was infront of her a second, then a moment later, he's holding Kokabiel's neck in his left, clawed hand.

The face Kokabiel made.. it tickled something in her deep laughing bone. But, the unreal situation made it impossible to laugh.

"You see, Fallen whoreson.." She could practically hear the smirk in the boy's voice.

"You talk too much!" A gauntleted fist hit the flabbergasted Fallen's face.

"Now, let us see.." the Dragon wieder growled. "How you like to be stepped on!" His voice boomed, not unlike the sound of thunder, filled with righteous fury.

She watched, unable to find her voice, as Issei punched Kokabiel's face like a machinegun with a particularly hard and spiky bullet. The fast and continuous impact made Kokabiel unable to react in time and counter.

Straight jab, aimed at the face. Right hook, at the left shoulder. Headbutt, hook, jab, another hook, followed with an uppercut.

It happened in a fraction of a second, she only saw what was slow enough for her eyes to follow, and there were more that she couldn't even manage to catch a glimpse. His hand were like blurs to her. It lashed and lashed and lashed to the shocked Fallen.

She wanted to laugh, oh how she wanted to.. but she only managed to wheeze out air in a gibberish manner.

Blood, so much puncture on Kokabiel's face that bled red. Sprayed like a fountain of crimson. A punch would make a couple of them, making even the hardened Fallen General lose his liquid life.

A pause, and Issei leered at the bleeding face with disgust. The brown haired boy then threw Kokabiel onto the ground with a thud.

The Fallen didn't even had the to inhale before a foot slammed onto his bruised and punctured face.

She winced when the sharp cracking sound reached her hearing. Another stomp, and a whimper. Another stomp, another one, a chocked wheeze then another stomp followed by a gasp.

It was decidedly brutal, the downed Fallen was lucky that Issei never deemed it to use nothing but brawl. With his bare hands, Kokabiel may have a chance to survive.

Not that she wanted him to.

Then, she saw liquid fire started leaking from the boy's mouth. Dripping with an offending hot red glow. When the liquid hit the ground, small flames erupted in a miniscule torch.

This is getting ugly.

It did get ugly.. For Kokabiel that is.

She snapped her eyes close when Issei directed the fiery spit at the Fallen's form. A scream of pure agony shot through the air, and she lifted her aching arms and placed her palms on her ears, to block the pain filled scream.

It didn't help..

Oh, the scream.. dear Lord.. make it stop. How could Kokabiel like this pained filled scream? Please.. make it stop.. She didn't want any of this.. please..

And it stopped.

She slowly pried her eyes open, and hesitantly focus on Issei's form. Kokabiel's head laid at the bottom of his foot, bleeding and burnt, but still breathing.

"Now.. you see, little crow." The voice was not his, a voice she heard not some time ago. And she was certain, that's not Issei's voice.

"There is a reason why my soul was sealed in this prison!" The boy growled, his voice rough and guttural. Vertical iris locked on the whimpering Fallen.

"A reason, why gods feared us Dragonkin!" There was no pride,only confidence. The confidence in his ability and words.

"Because we.." he lifted his foot.

"We Destroy!" He bellowed, and the foot shot down.

"Our battles are wars in your view!" He bent his body forwards, closing the distance between him and the broken Fallen's face.

"We are.." he whispered, but she still heard it.

".. the unwanted." The Dragon Wielder whispered menacingly, voice like a vicious wind.

And Kokabiel stayed silent. Breathing heavily, and drenched in his own blood.

"The Mistake of Nature.." He stated, and that time, she felt the sadness in the voice. Like regret of too many times losing a part of himself.

"While you.. Angels, Devils and your kin, little crow, deemed this world yours?!" Disgust and hate dripped from the tone.

"We have lived amongst humankin for millenias! Watched as they killed each other like the mindless beasts they are!" She noted the anger was still boiling, but controlled.

Issei's already narrowed eyes, sharpened into a deadly emerald slits, "And then you, supernatural beings came into the fray!"

"Decietful! Traitorous! The lot of you! Invovling your damned powers in the already chaotic war of the humans!" The rage, it was suffocating her. The heat shot up, making the air bleed with stifling heat.

"Those they called gods, rape the women! Killed the childrens! Left forests as infernos! Gave powers to the unworthy filth! Bastards!" He bellowed, eyes ablaze with ancient wrath.

"Centuries.. for centuries have I watched. As the unnatural beings forced themselves into the world, lied, decieved, defiled, molest your way into Nature's grace!"

The brown haired boy reached towards the downed Fallen by the head and lifted. "Oh.. oh how.." he growled, and turned the still bleeding Kokabiel to face his wrathful snarl.

"How I despise all of you" It was a whisper, but it carried a deep hatred, too deep beyond her reach to understand.

It scared her.

The raging boy glared at the limp form in his gauntleted hand, and smirked. He then tightened his grip, making the Fallen General whimper.

"Look at me.." the tone was slow, but a demand nonetheless. His smirk turned feral. And Kokabiel's swollen eyes opened slowly to comply.

"Look into my eyes, as I squish the life out of you."

Kokabiel's eyes widened when the gauntleted hand that's been holding his head, tried to make him bleed his brains out. Futile hands clawed at the gauntlet, trying to stop the raising pressure to no avail.

Her blood turned ice cold when she witnessed the Weilder tried to viciously end Kokabiel's life, while Kokabiel tried to fruitlessly stop the boy's brutal execution.

That is not Issei..

The whimpers grew louder, begging release, from the pain or living, she's not sure. Though it was a fair punishment, it still made her stomach queasy to see it done.

The burnt body of Kokabiel hung like a bag of meat in the boy's hand, meat that is ready to be butchered. Shaking and struggling with hopeless effort to escape the iron grip.

She watched the scene with wide eyes, unable to move her eyes. Then, she heard a whisper. A pleading voice. Coming from the place where her wings were painfully broken.

Slowly, she turned her vision to the offending source, and saw Rin.

The girl's face, smothered with dirt, due to the position she was in. Arms, useless and limp, laid in a weird pose, almost like she's doing some funny dance. But her eyes carries pearls of liquid salt, were red with pain.

"Stop, please.. Issei-kun.." The whispers were blown by the winds. Ignored by the executing boy.

"STOP!" Rin's scream shot through the air, cutting the silent atmosphere with her cracked, hoarse voice.

The boy who Rin screamed at seemed to loosened his grip of the Fallen's head. Glaring at her with furious intensity, focused like a hawk would to a prey.

"Stop.. thi-this isn't you, Issei!" Her voice was rough and coarse from the screams she lets out, but it still carries a steely pleading in it.

'Why?' Was the unspoken question from the boy's asking eyes, which glowed in green curiosity. His head tilted a bit, made it look like a puzzled child.

Funny how a head tilt would make a creature like that look childish.

"You're not like this! You won't hurt more than necessary!" Rin reasoned.

"I am not who you call Issei, girl." The boy said, voice still guttural. But she detected no malice in it, just a plain statement.

"Then, please.. stop this. Whoever you are.. please.. Issei wouldn't want you to kill that man." Rin's pleading eyes shined with tears. Sad for whom, she's not sure.

Again, he gave the girl a questioning look. "Why do you speak as if you know the boy?" Questioning, curious, but not angry.

"I know him, I've watched him. How he's one of the most kind hearted person I've met." She looked slubbish, but her glistening eyes conveyed confidence and something unreadable.

Intrigue flashed through the feral looking boy's face. "Hoo.." he scoffed, "Kind hearted she said!" The boy threw Kokabiel with a careless flick of his wrist.

She watched as Kokabiel crashed into the fountain in the middle of the park with a sick crack, leaving the fountain in ruins. But his chest still moved in rythm, showed that he still breathing.

Again, she focused at the the bloody boy and the downed girl. Issei glanced at his gauntleted arm, then locked eyes with Rin again. A growl and a smile, "If you know, what hell he can do.." low whisper and a feral smile.

".. you'd fear him, more than you'd fear me."

A warning? A threat?

No.. it's a promise.

"I won't. I will never fear him." Was the girl's confident reply.

"Girl.. you speak of a boy who wields a dragon's soul." His expression turned dark. "Chaos is in his very being."

The green emerald burned with malice, but it was not directed at the girl, yet it was directed at his arms. "Death, follows his wake.. such is the fate of my weilder.. mine and his curse."

Rin gave a sullen smile. "Then, I'd accept it.. I'll accept all of him." No hesitation, no falter in her voice. Just iron clad confidence.

A sharp look was directed at the brown haired girl, it was filled with disbelief and glittered with judgement.

"What brought this? What brought this confidence within you? What made you so fixated in this boy?" Questions that carried a thousand meaning.

Rin gave a smile so bright and so sincere, it shocked even her. "Because that's the boy I've fell in love with." The tone was adoring and patient.

It was full of love.

Issei's expression turned cold and calculating. Showed not a speck of emotion on the bloodied face.

"So we shall see.." was his cryptic reply.

She wanted to ask, how absurd this situation is. How a rampaging Wielder that possesed a Dragon soul had been confessed to, in a goddamned battlefield?

Is this what they called, 'Battlefield Love'?

Did they forget about her? Hell, Did they forget about the damned sadistic Fallen? She really wanted to ask, but her throat won't make a sound.

A flash of light shot through her vision, and she snapped into full focus. She twisted her groaning neck to follow the offending light, a spear.. a Tainted Spear! It's aimed at Rin!

She kicked the ground in a last ditch effort to block the spear, but alas, she fell facefirst onto the ground. It made her already protesting wounds scream in defiance at her drastic move.

A woosh? A clang?

"Insufferable crow.. I see you're satisfied with your life? Now that you attempted to kill the one I protect."

The girl! Is the girl alright?

She can't lift her head, the pain was excrutiating. So she couldn't see the happenings infront of her.

Please let the girl be okay. Please dear Lord.

"I am Kokabiel! I am the General of the Fallen Angels!" The choked sound of Kokabiel's vain announcement made her want to tell him to shut the fuck up. But, she could only wheeze.

"I am The One Who Led The Legion! I am the strongest! I am- ghak!" The pathetically arrogant voice was silenced before it's owner finished his boasts.

"..going to die." Issei's guttural tone finished.

"Let him go..." Rin? She's alive! Thank god! She released a dusty sigh of relief.

".. please." The brown haired caretaker pleaded. Voice sullen and painful.

"Huh.." Issei's rough voice sounded puzzled.

And all she knew after that, was blackness.

_BREAK_

"Yuuma-chan?" She called, but still no answer. "Yuumaa-chaan?" She hollered, still, silence was the reply.

It's been almost twenty minutes since the Fallen disappeared from her view, it felt lonely and too silent all of a sudden in the house. And now, she's calling out to said Fallen, searching for companionship in this deafening silence.

She stepped slowly to avoid falling onto her face, it's a pain to try and get back up without the use of her hands. Well, it's a pain to do anything without a hand. And thinking of said troubles, her respect shot up for the unlucky people who had few of their body unabled to be used. They are amazing people indeed, seeing that they can live normally without the use of some limbs.

She'll be sure to visit the local House for The Unable People and give them moral support.

A glace infront of her, and she saw the door to Issei's room is wide open. Weird. Issei never forget to close his room's door, he even warned both her and Yuuma not to enter his room. So why is it that the door is ajar?

She walked a bit faster when she heard the feminine whimpers from said room. And she stole a careful peek to see the owner of the whimpers.

Yuuma, Amano Yuuma laid in Issei's bed, crying in her sleep. Her hands gripped the sweat soaked sheet with an iron grip, showing struggle with whatever dream she's having.

Rin slowly walked into the room, as silent as she could on her tiptoe. When she arrived at the sleeping girl's form, she hummed softly into the afternoon air.

A lullaby, a song of hope, a song her parents sang to her when they were in this mortal world. She hummed exactly as she remembered how her mother did. It always calmed any fear she had, and it soothed the girl, judging by the lessening whimpers.

She always did this with the children. When they have a nightmare, they'd come and tell her or Mother Shinonone about it, and she or Mother would wait for them until they fall asleep. It's the least they can do for the orphans, they can't replace the parental figure, and they wouldn't, but they'd show as much as love they can muster towards the parentless childrens. It's a way to show support and care, to let them know that even in their sleep, she and Mother would always be with them.

A small smile crept into her face. The whimpering Fallen had quitened, the painful whimpers are replaced with whispering sobs.

"There, there.." she whispered softly, and the sobs turned slower. "I'm here with you." A promise, a statement that she'd be here, always. "It'll all be alright.."

She watched as the scrunched up face of Yuuma turned into a soft and beatific peaceful look. The girl's nightmare must've past.

Unconciously, she laid a soft kiss on the sleeping girl's head, like she'd always do to the childrens.

She regretted it when a gasp came out of Yuuma's lips, signalling her that the girl had awakened from her nap.

Yuuma pulled back hastily from the contact, face pale and scared. Looking at her with wide eyes.

"Wha-what? What are you doing?" Yuuma's expression hurts her, that beautiful face shouldn't be pasted in fright.

"You're having a nightmare.. and you were crying, so I thought I'd comfort you." Her reply was soft and gentle, trying not to surprise the still hazy girl.

"What?" Yuuma placed her palms on her cheeks and wiped the remaining tears from her pale face. "You need not to do that." The frightful expression turned into a small glare, in which she returned with a soft smile.

Like a child, this Yuuma..

"I wanted to. It always helped the childrens back at the orphanage, so I thought your sleep would be better without that nightmare.." she finished lamely.

The girl's glare softened into a small look of puzzlement. The way those ember eyes looked at her made it hard to resist hugging the girl.

Not that she could, with her arms out of order, and all that..

"Why?" Yuuma's question was sincere, not a trace of suspicion. Just gunuine wonder.

Why, why is it that she treated this Fallen girl like this? Why is it that she's so accepting? Why is it that she, the one who lost the use of her arms, still tried to comfort the Fallen?

Why indeed?

"You've not even known me for even a week! Why?" Again the brown haired Fallen asked, but the tone raised a bit in indignation. "I tried to kill him! I didn't even manage to protect you when Kokabiel arrived.. I just stood there whe-when h-he.." The puzzled expression turned stern then sullen, deep ember eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Did this to me?" She finished the sentence, in which the sullen girl flinched at.

The smile on her face never moved, she sat beside the Fallen. As the sharp eyes watched her every movement, she made her answer clear, with a story of her own.

"You know, the first time I met Issei, people always said that he isn't a likeable person." She began slowly, trying to lure the watching girl into her story.

"The way he silently moved, made people thought of him as a thief. How he'd sneak past everyone unnoticed, like a wind." It's true, Mother Shinonone always thought that Issei is a thief, creeping around like some lurker of a kind.

"How he'd keep a conversation short and simple, would make people say that he's arrogant, or vain, or perhaps.. socially awkward." She smiled at that. Issei always keep his talk as short as he could, as if he's not interested in conversing with others. He often nodded and shooked his head, seldom that he used his voice to convey short messages, preferring only to reply wordlessly.

Some may say it made him look arrogant. Other's would say he's a socially awkward person.

But she never felt that way..

"I never thought of him like that. You see, I always had good eyes in judging a characters. There's a certain air between people, be it arrogant, happy, sad, pain or more." She explained to the listening girl.

"And the air that moved around Issei, is always sullen and lonely.." She paused, remembering the first time she felt the silently weeping air around the brown haired boy. It felt sad, painful.. desolated..

"..but never offending." Here, she shot the Fallen a smile. "Just like you."

"Huh?" Was the Fallen's intelligent reply, she tried her best to resist the urge to laugh while looking at the silly looking girl. Instead, she widened her smile.

"What do you mean?" Eyes narrowed, Yuuma's expression switched in a blink.

A teasing smile, "You'll know." A shook of her head.

"I hope, you'll know.." how the both of you suffered the same thing. Was the unfinished sentence.

They experienced the same thing, the same sufferings, but in a different views. Two sides of a same coin.

While one is an Angel that have fallen from grace, trying to get back home. Lying to herself about the possibility. Veiling her eyes with lies and vain hope.

The other is a boy with too much power, avoiding close contact, to ensure other's survival. Blending in the society, living normally, but never accepted. The nature of living things are to avoid danger, and the Dragon wielding boy is the epitome of danger. Forever rejected.

She sighed softly, unknown to her, the smile on her face turned sullen.

So much suffering, so much pain..

And they endured it alone? Trying their best to strive for what they wanted, but to no avail. To be normal, to be accepted..

To find somewhere they can call home..

She focused on Yuuma's face, sullen and serious. "I.. I want to be your friend.." she stated, straight forward and honest. Looking at how the Fallen's face switched into shock, again, told her that her sudden statement caught the ember eyed girl unexpectedly.

"I want to be able to help you.. to be there for the both of you.." she rectified.

"Why?" Yuuma's lips moved slowly. "Why, dammit!" The Fallen half shouted, but it sounded more like disbelief than anger.

"This!" The Fallen placed two palms on her injured shoulder, indicating the wounds and her inability to move the arms.

"This all happened because of me! Because I wanted him to be turned! Because I was too weak!" She knew, how the Fallen didn't meant for this to happen. How much blood she had spilled for the sake of Kokabiel, and her hope to get back home.

Yuuma's tired.. too tired. Exhausted. Too much happened in a short burst of time, making her hopeful mind turn deep into depression.

She slowly moved into the Fallen's comfort zone, ignoring the flinch and the heart wrenching sobs. Then, she placed her lips on the girl's head, effectively silencing the whimpering sniffles.

"Why?" It was not a question. "Because I don't want you to cry alone, I want to help." She whispered softly. "It hurts, I won't say I know how it felt, because I don't. But.." she paused and pulled herself to look into the deep ember eyes.

"It would feel better to have a shoulder to cry on, yes?" She asked with a small accepting smile.

The Fallen only cried harder, hugging her body to take some comfort, in which she would readily give, any time.

That is how she got a new friend.

_-End Chapter 3-_

Author's Note

So.. yeah..

To whoever that have been waiting for this chapter, I sincerely apologize for my lateness. I swear it wasn't intentional. The app I used, Writer Plus, crashed everytime I tried to open it, and I didn't have any backups to spare. It is awesomely annoying, trying to write a story with the Microsoft Words app. Holy! The tooltips are hard to understand! And they can zoom? Holy moly, I had a huge headache when I accidentally zoomed in and out in a fast pace. It was annoyingly hard!

Now I'm rambling..

Right, so yeah.. I never expected this story to have this kind of support. And I thank you all for the kind words you all have given me. You may not know how much those words encouraged me when I was about to give the f* up trying to use the Words app. Fortunately, a friend of mine fixed my Writer app.

Back to Writing, yeah?

This chapter was rushed and the drafts are in shambles, due to me losing my files. So forgive me, if this chapter didn't fulfil your expectations. If any of you have ways to improve this chapter, I'd be happy if you'd share it with me, yeah?

As always, you may notice errors and mistakes. And I would be infinitely grateful if you point said errors and mistakes, to improve your reading experience and my writing skills.

I also accept advice and critics, be it harsh or considerate. Improvements calls for some pain! And if you need to be harsh, to point my mistakes, Come at Me Brah! I'll try to fix it! Yeah!

Ahem..

All of you are the best! And Beta's! I'm in desperate need of a Beta Reader! Yezzah! If any of you are experts in English and kind hearted enough to help this newb, please do tell. I would like for my readers to be happy, yeah?

Did I tell you that You are the best, yet? Cause you are! YEAH!

Keep Calm, and Keep Reading, aye?

Author's Note Ends


	4. Chapter 4

_-Chapter 4-_

A sigh escaped trough his slightly parted lips, his mind filled with thoughts. The peaceful life he built within months of returning to Kuoh City, now laid in desolated ruin.

Why? What went wrong? What did he do wrong?

Oh yeah, Yuuma asked him out and tried to turn him into somekind of brainwashed soldier. And don't forget the prick of a Fallen, Kokabiel. And Rin, especially Rin.

He look upwards to gaze into the blue sky, trying to find logic in the situation he got himself into. The sapphire colored horizon gave a bit of calmness to his currently frazzled mind, it also made him feel refreshed.

But unfortunately, there is no answer there.

The sound of hundreds of voices weaved through the morning air, a norm for this time, due to the students that arrived at the Academy's gateway.

His twin brown orbs focused at the luxurious looking gate of Kuoh Academy. It weirded him, how they made a gate look so extravagant. The fine decorations and shiny polished metal, painted in expensive coloured paint. What's the point? What is the point of making things look luxurious?

He shook his head slowly, and again released a small sigh.

Humans, some of them had pride bigger than that of a Dragon. Where the ancient beings would keep their riches away from sight to avoid from getting stolen, these humans showcased their riches in plain sight, almost like making a statement that they had the money to show it.

Why did he went to school again? There's an injured girl and a Fallen Angel back at his home that his main worries are about, but here he is, walking into the gates of the Academy.

Ahh.. Rin persuaded him to go.

He smirked, more like she threatened to use force if he still refused to go to school. Though she looks very beautiful, she was as ferocious as a hungry and sleep deprived bear when she threatened him.

That girl, really made his day lively.

He walked absent-mindedly into the halls of the Academy's building, making his way to his class with a small smile on his face. The whispers and glares are ignored effectively by him, you'll get used to it if you've experienced it for almost eight years of your life.

Funny really, seeing these peoples hate what they couldn't understand. While their own kind mercilessly kill each other, for a meager piece of paper.

And they respect those killers?

They made those murderers into the presidents, leaders and ministers? Those who are rich gets richer, while the poorer, fell deeper into poverty.

These are the people that find him uneasy?

But not all of them are that bad, for an example, Mother Shinonone, the den mother of the orphanage, was a poor woman, living with her late husband in a decrepit place. And due to her not having any children, had left her wanting for one, but never asked due to their living condition.

Her husband passed away in a work accident, the man had left her with a mournful days and an amount of insurance money, in which she started a business with. The business wasn't too much of a boom, nor was it too unprofitable either. Just a plain-good-ol-business, a way to go by her days. Years gone by with her and the business.

Until one day she saw a girl begging for food, and it pulled her heartstring to see such a child that had no other choice but to beg. She had seen the slums, and her old heart had broken again on that day. Childrens, little ones that she had yearned for, begging for food and some money, to let them pass their days. Smothered in dirt and who knows what, and they smelled like rotten food.

Thus she bought a home in the residential district at the other side of town, using what money that she have left, and made an orphanage. Since then, her business had never been unprofitable, there will always an income, let it be meager, or sometimes, too much even for the orphanage.

Bless her.. bless her kind and beautifully wrinkled heart..

She is one of the few people that made him still believe in human kind. The rare kind, the pinnacle of humanity. It is those of that kindness, that made him believe that people have some good in them. Let it be a speck of it, if it is shown the right way, they may shoot for the sky.

While those who can't be helped anymore, such as those sadistic psychopaths, greedy filth of a meatbags and those ungrateful little pieces of manipulators should be handled, with extreme and most painful prejudice.

Speaking of manipulative, sociopathic and sadistic piece of excrement, it reminded him of the Fallen Angel, Kokabiel.

That Kokabiel.. why didn't The Welsh Dragon kill him? He knew of the Great Welsh's streak of rage and hate towards the unnatural beings. But yet, the Dragon has rendered the Fallen unable, crippled, hurt beyond healing.

So why is the anti-thesis of the Dragon's existence is still left alive?

Yuuma had said that Rin stopped the Dragon before the Fallen was about to be killed. Saying that he'd didn't want to kill the Fallen? The nicest boy she'd ever met? Through what kind of mind did she made that kind of theory?

The girl.. she viewed him through rose tinted glass.

He sighed, looking at the crowd of people in his class, he reminded himself to observe for the different air amongst the students, to make sure that there is no more of these supernatural beings that wanted to make his ass into somekind of a zombie ass.

If he had observed better, he'd known that Yuuma was a Fallen, it would made it easier to reject her advance on himself that day. But alas, he didn't know of the glamour that the Fallen kin wore nowadays. It effectively disguised them, even the air that didn't accept the beings, flowed normally around them. Unlike those of a Devils.

Well, you can't blame them. The Fallens are once Angels, creatures of kindness and light, nature knows of Angels and it accepted. Even if they fell, a Fallen still carries a form of light, but tainted it is. While Devils are creatures of treachery, lies and betrayal. Putting themselves as one of the foulest creatures that have ever stepped foot on this world. And nature hated them, thus made the air dance peculiarly around them, showing objection towards their being.

Nature rejects them.. just like it rejects him.

He sat on his designated seat in class, and glance outside at the academy's field, where some of the students are warming up for their PE class. Judging by the heights and sizes of the student's form, it must be the first year. Small and compact, they still in the state of growing up. Give them a year or two, and all of 'em will grow into some fine man and woman.

Fine woman..

He sighed again.

Rin, that girl.. why did she had to be dragged into this shitstorm? Because of him, she's wounded now. Maybe, he should just call that guy, and asks for information? The guy should know of a powerful healer somewhere, no?

That guy is the best in investigating, afterall.

Yes, he would call the guy. This kind of information should cost him an arm or a leg.. or his newborn son. But, for tomorrow, we shall think when tomorrow comes, today, is today's thinking.

A shiver shot through his intentionally bent spine, making it straightened out in a surprised reaction. Snapped out of his thoughts, he sharpened his senses in an attempt to detect the source of said shivers.

He took a deep breath to identify any unknown in his class, and promptly tensed when a foreign scent entered his sense. But said scent isn't something of a stranger to his nose, it's always there in the academy, but never too close to him.

Like a scent of lilly in a sea of roses.

'Someone... or something is watching me?' He placed some more focus on his view, and let his intense stare discretely roam the classroom.

He searched the human filled room to no avail, but the feeling of being stared at never left. Brown orbs directed at the window, he found the source.

A couple of cats. Sakura, the once pregnant cat that he helped, sat at the pane, licking her gray and black fur. With her, a snow white kitten with hazel eyes.

Said hazel eyes are looking at him with an intelligent gaze, almost like it's judging him.

That ain't no cat, nope, not at all.

But he cannot pinpoint the origin of that kitten. He's sure that he recognized the scent, but he's pretty sure that he'd recognize an intelligent kitten with snow white fur. He knows of cat-like Youkai, but his knowledge is limited to only one kind. And this cat doesn't smell like the cat Youkai at all.

He sighed with a small smile. Is it him or fate have an intriguing way of giving up his place to the wrong type of people. He just wanted to be left alone, peacefully uninvolved in the unnatural world. Yet, it seems that fate had a different idea of that.

Well, nothing can be done if he just sat here.

He pushed himself up and head towards the pair of felines on the window pane, though his class in on the ground floor, it wouldn't be wise to let a couple of cats roam freely. The cleaners would wreck havoc if the cats throw around some furballs, and will initiate a cathunt to catch the offenders.

"Now, now.. what are you little ones doing here, eh?" He smiled at them, reaching a hand at Sakura's ears.

"You shouldn't be here, Sakura, and your friend too. The cleaners would have a manhunt if they found you lounging around the classes." He looked at the gray and black cat, "Shouldn't you feed your youngs now? It's bad to leave them unattended, you know?"

Sakura only yawned and looked at his face in a lazy manner, it made his fingers that is currently rubbing her ears moves faster. The lazy cat! Imma bite your ears if I could! But, it would be unwise, with the WWF and all that.

"And who's this little one? This ain't one of yours, isn't it?" He kept asking the lazy cat, ignoring the whispers of people behind him. He directed his gaze to the white kitten, and a smile grew on his face when he noticed that the kitten is well groomed.

Too well groomed for his taste.

He let his free hand went to the white cat slowly, wanting to pat the cat without scaring it away. The kitten's hazel eyes focused at his hand for a moment, breaking the intense stare it gave him a moment ago. Then, after it identified no hostilities coming from said hands, it resumed staring at him, bur letting him pet it's head.

He kept his hands strictly on the head area, not knowing wether the kitten is really indeed a kitten or not. If not, then it would be a very unappropriate way to greet said kitten.

"Now, I don't know what you are.. or where you came from. But, this place isn't fit for your kind. Devils roam freely around here. And to my knowledge, catlike Youkai are not favorable towards Devil kin." He absentmindedly told the white kitten, while his hands kept petting the undirtied fur.

The small feline looked at him in a startled manner, hazel eyes wide with astonishment.

Seeing the intelligent kitten's shock, he gave it a small comforting smile and a wink. "I know what you are~" he said in a singsong voice. He likes animals and he's not afraid to show it.

Eventhough said animal isn't a real animal. But who's judging, eh?

"Now off you go. Don't worry, I won't tell a soul about you." He promised, voice encouraging. He stopped his petting and switched gaze to the lazy gray cat.

"And you little lady, you should get along with your little friend here. Show her the way out, eh? Wouldn't want this one to lose her way, no?" He told the cat half stern half apolegetic. Apologetic because he couldn't play with them.

"Ooh, Shiro." He directed his gaze to the white cat. And said white cat gave him another startled look. "If you want to find your clan.. or whatever it is that Youkai call themselves. Try to look at the mountains in southern Kyoto, eh?" The white one narrowed it's hazel eyes. "I heard many of your kind lived there. Where the Devils cannot reach."

The white cat's eyes widened a bit, then it gave him an understanding nod.

"Shoo, now. Off you go." He spoke softly, waving his hand in a soft dismissive manner.

The felines obliged, though grudgingly on Sakura's part, to leave. And he watched as the animals leave with a smile. They are innocent creatures, animals. But yet, the human progress have disrupted most of their kind's home. It pained him to see some wild animals left wandering, homeless and confused.

Yes, he had a very symphethetic heart.

No, he's not that merciful..

He turned his body, ans headed back to the back of the class, where his designated seat lies. All the while, his classmates looked at him with disgusted eyes.

Why?

Don't ask him. He had no idea what's going on in those bubbles they call their heads, probably something idiotic.. or stupidly irrasional. Hey, that's what teenagers nowadays do, no?

Seat taken, comfortably seaten, he prepared himself for the classes that's yet to come.

Dear Amaterasu, give him strength to brave the Cultural History Class.

_BREAK_

The red glowing eyes looked at him, not an emotion apparent. His sharp and pointy teeth which are as long as him, gleamed in the dark, like a menacing spear, waiting to meet with their prey. Every breath going out of those nostril that are the size of his body, lets out black, toxic smoke.

And yet, the owner of said appendages only looked at him, doing nothing but observing him, like a snake would do to a rat.. right before it struck.

At last, the gigantic maws opened slowly. "Do you think you know of rage, boy?" He asked, voice like a booming thunder, yet held patience and understanding.

He nodded. He had lost his parents to those murderers. He had been angry, but this isn't anger.. this is rage.

"Then you deem yourself strong enough to bear the burden of hatred? The hatred and scorn that rage carries with?" He asked again, eyes looked at him with ferocious focused gaze.

Yet again, he nodded silently.

The titanic being stood on it four limbs, his body produced sounds of crackling and screeching, like a metal dragged on metal. It's eyes never left his form.

"Then feel.." He thought it was a whisper, but the voice is still menacing and nerve wracking.

The creature pointed a claw the size of a trunk at his forehead, but he never flinched.

And subsequently pushed the claw onto his unsuspecting forehead, stabbing it. Yet, no pain came.

"Feel the rage of the World!"

Blackness..

Then.. he saw Hell.

_BREAK_

Startled from his nap by a hand on his shoulder, he flinched. He caught the hand and gripped it hard, rendering it unable to hurt him, if the owner have a hostile intentions.

Brown eyes snapped into sharp attention, focused in a deadly gaze. Senses in alert, for hostile intent not owned by himself, hung thickly in the air.

Only to see a handsome, but pained smile from the Prince of Kuoh himself.

Huh, the Prince's hand sure is rough. He didn't expect such a soft looking boy had a rough and calloused hand. Maybe the blond is well versed in badminton? Or tennis? Never heard of the Prince joining any sport club.

"Umm, Hyoudo-san?" Said blond voice was unsure.. or in pain.. he himself isn't sure.

"Yes?" He absentmindedly replied. What is that hostile intent? It's not coming from him or the blond teen..

"Could you please let my hand go? I think you broke it.." The last part was said in a low whisper.

"Ahh!" He let go of the boy's probably broken hand, he didn't crush it, did he?

Seeing said teenager's hand limp and bent in funny ways, he had only one conclusion.

"Your hand isn't broken.. it's called being a pansy.." He commented, it's true, having a calloused hand, but crushed in a reflexive grip? Pansy..

The hostile intention aimed towards him quadrupled.

Ahh.. the girls hiding behind the doors. They probably came to see the Prince, and yet they saw their Prince waking the outcast up, and subsequently, said Prince's hand being crushed in a vice grip. Also from the awakened outcast.

That explains it..

Well fuck you then. The old people always say, 'let the sleeping dogs lie', or in this context, 'let the sleeping outcast nap'. It is never wise to disturb his nap. Not at all, sir. Not wise at all.

And it seems that Amaterasu didn't heard of his prayers for strength, for he still fell asleep in the Cultural History class.

Dammit!

Oh, gracious Deity, help this poor soul to face this agonizing schooldays. This one have no intentions of going to school, and yet here he is, wasting away in a place where knowledge is given.

"No one have ever called me that in person.. it seems that you're a very honest person." The blond intoned, soft was his voice, but pained and forced through gritted teeth.

He focused on the boy, seeing the pale red face twisted in a mix between a friendly smile and agony. Well, he decided it looked like the blond is holding himself from farting. Loudly.

Huh, farting.. does the Prince even farted? The Prince of Kuoh.. farted loudly in a class. It would make the headline for the Newspaper club.

The Prince and the Farter? Farted?

"Honesty is good, no? It made the world a better place, yes?" He absentmindedly asked, his mind still on the mystery of fart and the Prince.

"Yes.. yes it is." The blue eyed boy replied with pained acceptance.

"What do you want from me, Yuuto-san?" Respectful was his tone, not wanting to solidify the reason for him being murdered by raging schoolgirls. Girls, though tender, they can be as threatening as the Spartan soldier, if provoked in the right place. Scary, the lot of them.

The Prince winced when he held his crushed hand in his left palm. "Buchou wanted to see you. She said it's an important for you to come."

Did the Devil just demanded his presence?

"And if I refuse?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

The blond teen only smiled at him. "We'll just bug you, until you resign and meet with us." Is that a threat?

A sigh, slow but heavy came from his slightly parted lips.

He doesn't want to be involved in this. This.. unnatural things, is it not enough that he wielded a wrathful soul of a Dragon? Is it too much to ask, for a peaceful life?

It seems so..

"When?" It came out strained and forced. Not wanting to elongate this surprisingly unwanted conversation.

"After school hours? If you're not in a rush, that is."

He nodded to the blond teen, "After school it is, I don't want to delay this kind of things."

The blond thanked him and left with a wince, but, the hostile intentions never left. It hung thick in the air.

A glance to his surroundings, and he noticed that nobody is in the class.

Hoo.. it's recess. Off to eat, then.

_BREAK_

As he sat on the laviscious couch, he reminded himself that he is currently surrounded by Devils.

The Occult Research Clubroom, an old building in the edge of the Academy's ground. It held an old Victorian design, gothic and ancient. Yet, the interiors are well furbished and kept.

He looked at the paintings decorating the wallpapered walls, they depict portraits of views and some people, probably an old coot by now, judging by the old look of said portrait.

The flooring is that of high grade woods, cut and placed in a symmetrical arrangenment. Painted with a clear wax-like substance, making it shine beautifully in the dim light.

Then, his eyes moved to the coffee table infront of him. Crafted from fine and rare wood, only found in the deepest forest in the world. Holy, this would cost an arm and a leg, and a pair of eyes.

Eyes made of goddamed diamond..

Rich, was the first thing that came to his mind.

The red haired Devil that is talking to him is filthy rich, to be able to afford these kind of things.

The Academy wouldn't supply the club with these luxurious items. The Academy itself is flowing with money from the fees and donations from the gracious parents. But these items would cost a fortune, even for a former private school like Kuoh.

He focused at the talking redhead, her face, her movement.. Hell, even her smell is that of a human. Every single Devil in the room, gives out human scent.

How? How did they managed to get their hands on this strong glamor? This almost undetected disguise?

"Hyoudo-san?" The redhead's gaze focused on him, a slight annoyance in her voice. "Are you even listening to what I said?" She asked, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Yes.. yes I do. Basically, this Peerage of yours is like a chess game in real life." He paused to look at the slightly irritated Devil. "The Knight is reliable on their speed, and Yuuto-san is yours." He paused to look at the mentioned blond briefly. Said blond nodded in affirmation.

"Rooks are the strong and thick skinned one, and the white haired Chibi is yours." The 'Chibi' glared at him dangerously, almost murderous. He replied with a small apologetic smile. He didn't mean that to come out, he really didn't.

"Himejima-san is your Queen, and she is well-versed in the art of sorcery and magic." He intoned, almost bored. He is indeed listening, just not showing it.

"And you, Miss Gremory is the King of these Pieces. The main brain of the group." He concluded. Brown orbs focused on the redhead's now satisfied face.

"Now, what does this explaination have to do with me being here?" He paused briefly when he saw the redhead was about to open her mouth, and continued quickly to avoid misunderstandings. "Not that I dislike it here, just that I have mouth to feed, back home." He amended.

Said redhead shut her mouth, then it seems that she's chewing the inside of her cheek. Probably thinking of something. Her eyes closed and she took a deep calming breath.

Oh, he doesn't like this at all..

When the girl opened her eyes, he had a premonition that this will bring him an atomic level headache.

"I, Rias Gremory, the Heiress of House Gremory." That formal tone made his hand itchy. "Invite you, Hyoudo Issei, to officially join my Peerage, as a Pawn Piece." She continued with a small proud smile.

The roar deep inside his concious mind gave him the predicted atomic headache. Fucking scalebag can really roar!

He winced a bit, a formal question must be met with a formal answer, yes?

"No." Unfortunately, he doesn't know of any formal answer to that.

Instead of a surprised, understanding, or perhaps a defeated look that he thought she'd give, she gave him a smug look.

Shit.. this will be painful, huh?

"You owe me something, Dragon Wielder." She said with one eyebrow raised, tone smug and confident.

He ignored the roaring inside, and focused on the redhead's smiling visage. He ask his question, "Owe you? What did I owe you?" Unwillingly, he closed his eyes to calm the Dragon.

"Akeno healed that girl, Rin, for you. If it's not for Akeno's magic, the girl would have been in worse condition." She intoned. "Dragon's pride require you to pay the debt." Though his eyes are closed, he can practically feel the smile growing.

After a moment of self calming. The roaring inside his head silenced, and he released a sigh of relief.

When he opened his eyes, the Devils infront of him tensed. The blond boy, Yuuto, summoned a sword out of thin air. The white haired loli's fists clenched tight. And the Queen, Akeno, have wisps of blue and purple electricity jumping from her skin into the air.

What the hell is going on?

"You dare?" His voice came out guttural and angry, molded with disbelief.

Oh.. that's why..

"We owe you? WE?" His right arm that was normal a moment ago, now clad in a crimson gauntlet, crushed the wood holding the couch's armrest.

"Is it not you, who owe us a debt?" A question asked with prideful anger.

"Was it not you, who's responsible for the protection of this city? Was it not you and that girl that smells like water?"

Oh yeah.. that..

Rias, pale and rigid stared at him. "Yes we are.. but I don't understand, how is that we owe you?" She and her Peerage stood stiff and prepared. That's smart. When you mess with a Dragon, you ought to expect a fight.

Don't expect to win though..

"Then tell me, girl.." drawling voice. "Tell me, why does this city crawling with Fallen?" Insulting tone, askance with dissatifaction.

The mentioned girl opened her mouth, then closed it again. Lips stretched into a thin line, she replied. "We are not in a war, we avoid unecessary fight. One wrong move, and another Faction Wars may start again." Sweaty was her face, for the heat in the room increased, made it felt like a sauna for them.

He wondered, aren't Devils supposed to be heat proof, fire proof and all that, well.. they lived in their Hell, did they not?

Probably not. Looking at the glistening sweat that littered the girl's and her cohorts' foreheads.

"But yet," The Dragon inside began, "Yet you have let a bloodthirsty Fallen roam free in this city." He felt his body sagged into the now unperfect couch. "And a human have paid the price for you foolishness."

He saw the Devils' all paled. Their stiff posture, now tensed even more. Yeah, they're knee-deep in shit. And don't they know it?

"Is it not a guardian's duty, to know all of the threat in your place?"

"Is it not your duty, to protect the humans from the knowledge of this unnatural events?"

Here it comes.. the killing blow.

"If you have not fulfilled these, then you aren't fit to be a guardian." A smirk, challenging and insulting.

"Keep on being a girl, playing King."

Ouch! That must've hurt!

The redhead's face turned red, in anger or shame, he's not sure. But her Peerage members, though scared, they shot him angered looks. Both the white haired girl and the blond boy's fist clenched white. And the crackling electricity on Akeno's skin, intensified with new vigor.

The redhead's eyes sharpened dangerously, slits of lensed blue eyes glared at his possessed form. "Don't underestimate me, Dragon."

She lifted her right hand into the heated air, and an orb of reddish black substance wafted into existence, centimeters above her opened palm. The orb hung threateningly in the air.

"You'd find yourself in a bad spot if you do." Hostile intent exploded from the girl's form, blackish aura danced into his view. She stood tall, proud and ready, face set in a determined expression.

Impressive.. very impressive.

A laugh was his reply, loud and rough. Not insulting, not mocking. Just a plain laugh of humor. It shocked them all.

"How many times, have you seen death, girl? Once, twice? How many times, have you made a choice between a bad and a worse decision?" The tone was humorous, laughing.

Then the Dragon unleashed it's hostile intent, making the intent released by the girl fade into thin air. It weighed upon the Devils, like a sack of rice dropped onto their shoulders, they strained to even stand.

"What if I ask you to choose three person in this room that would live?" Eyes turned maniacal, a savage smile decorated his face

The group of Devils' eyes widened. Stunned and dazed.

But not for long. For they jumped into action.

Akeno threw her hands forward, and bolts of arm wide electricity jumped from her palms, but he blocked it with his gauntleted arm.

He crushed the armrest and quickly threw the chunk of woods, aimed a the raven haired girl's forehead. Effectively shutting the girl down.

Yuuto dashed in his direction with an impressive speed, his held sword pointing at his head.

But broken was his effort.. not broken, shattered. The blond's thrust met with his hands, and said sword was immediately crushed by him.

He reached on the boy's head, and smashed it into his left fist with a wet crack. And the blond was concious no more.

A fist hit his face, just below his left cheek. It surprised him to see that the fist belonged to the white haired petite girl. The force in it could've downed an elephant.

Yet he's not possessed by an elephant's spirit.

He grabbed Koneko's arm, and the offending arm was literally crushed by his hand. The petite girl screamed in pain. Then her scream was silenced by a left handed backhand.

Cruel, he admits it. But the girl needed to know, how it feels to choose. How it felt to be stuck between a Dragon's teeth. He didn't want this. Truly, he didn't desire for this confrontation. But alas, his hands are tied. The deal with the Dragon required him to give a part of himself, and in the process of getting used to losing said part, the Dragon would be able to temporarily control his body.

He unwillingly turned his head to the direction Rias. Still sitting, still smiling.

He saw how Rias' face turned pale, how her eyes widened in shock. Her beautiful face twisted in surprise, fear and disbelief. The threatening orb is no more in sight, probably dissipated due to her shock.

Three red fingers raised, eyes never left those of the redhead's. "Only three will leave the room. The one that's left out will be burned to death." Cruel, sadistic. But this is reality, the enemy wouldn't just sit while you fight. They'd retaliate.

This is how the enemy retaliate, and the Dragon is showing her, how it felt to choose.

And she have made an enemy out of a Dragon? Foolish girl.

"B-but.." Lost was her gaze, surprised was her tone.

"Three will live. One will die.." A whispered statement. The smile on his face, turned positively manic.

"Now.. Choose."

This needed to be stopped.

_BREAK_

She thought, she had it in wraps. She thought, that she'd have the boy as her Peerage member by the end of the day. She had made the research upon Dragon-soul Sacred Gear, and she had prepared herself to guilt talk the boy or probably make him realise that he owed her.

Not that she is the manipulative one. But desperate times, calls for desperate measures. And her impending marriage to Raizer Phenex is considered as desperate time.

That is why she wanted to take the boy and absorb him into her Peerage. If the brown haired transfer student is in her Peerage, she'd have a decent chance against Raizer.

The Phenex, though he's a womanizing scum, is admitedly a strong opponent and a formidable King. She had seen the recordings of his Rating Games and intantly knew that she held no chance against the blond playboy's Peerage. Their cooperation with each other was incredible, they functioned like a veteran team in the field.

Though her Peerage aren't that shabby in combat situation, their sharpness have a lot of chips to yet be removed. They are loyal, yes. They stood strong beside her in protecting the city from low class Stray and rogue Devils, but the higher classes of these Devils were handled by the Underworld's officials due to her admittedly inexperienced Peerage. Never they had experienced a battle in which her Peerage had to engage with a disadvantage.

She blamed her brother for this.

She had the utmost confidence in her Peerage, and vice versa. They would be able to handle B-class Stray and C-class rogue, but being the overly protective brother he is, forbade her to face these dangerous Devils. Claiming that it is very dangerous to confront these beings with the current strength of her Peerage.

She had never sulked that hard in her life, before that day.

Her Peerage, though small, it held the best of the best. Her Rook Piece, Toujo Koneko is the rare breed of Nekoshou Youkai, one of the most resilent and stongest being in the Youkai faction. Her strength alone is that of ten men. Combined with the boost supplied by the Rook piece, she could punch an eight inch thick concrete wall, and still break a Devil's face.

Yuuto Kiba, her Knight Piece is the fastest of all the newly minted Knight she'd ever seen. With his piece's boost, his speed and precision in combat is at least in the C-class all by himself. His graceful swordsmanship and Koneko's ability to shrug off most of the heavy damage, they'd made the best duo to be placed in the frontline.

While her Queen, Himejima Akeno, would supply support with her spamming low-class lightning spell and healing if the situation needed it. And if the road went south, she'd cast an A-class spell to quickly neutralise the threat.

Due to her Power of Destruction is a very.. destructive in nature, it is rare for her to unleash it. Often she found herself as a minor caster and the strategist, supporting them with small scale area of effect spells and changing the strategy if the unexpected happened. But if she ever casts her Power of Destruction, often it would end in a minute or two, and a lot of paperwork to explain the use of one of the most formiddable power in the Underworld, on the human realm.

Yet, her overly loving brother wouldn't let her face higher than C-class rouge and B-class Strays. Despite him knowing the strength of her Peerage.

And today, she had felt her first loss, a situation in which she'd never win against an opponent that is overly superior. An opponent that can shrug off spells from her Queen. A simple palm that can catch up to the speed of her Knight. A skin thick enough not to be penetrated by said Knight's sword and withstand a superpowered punch from a Rook and simultaneously put her resilient Piece down.

Said opponent is currently sitting on her couch, in her clubroom. Smiling in an unnerving manner at her, while holding her Peerage hostage and forcing her to choose who get to live and die.

It made her from an heiress of a respected and noble House, into a stuttering, nervous and scared girl. Her palm that held the Orb of Destruction, now sweaty and said orb dissipated into the air when shock overcame her senses.

"B-but.." Speechless, what could she say in this situation? 'Spare my Peerage, oh Great Dragon.'? Not likely..

The Dragon Wielder raised three fingers at her, taunting and challenging. "Three will live. One will die.." The smile on his face was terrifiying. His pearl white teeth, sharp and glistening with red glow.

"Now.. choose."

She didn't know what to do, what can she possibly do in this situation? So she decided to give.

Eyes determined, she glared at the Dragon Weilder possessed eyes. "If that's the choice, then I'd gladly die for them!" Fists clenched in cold fear, she gritted her teeth to the point of pain.

If she had to choose, then she'd choose them over her. They deserved to live. They deserved to be happy. She had a loving family, never have she experienced pain like how they did.

How Akeno lost her mother and abandoned by her father. How Kiba was made into a living experiment and had to watch his friends die. How Koneko was hunted by Devils due to the sins she haven't commited.

They deserve to live and love, unlike her who had the best out of them. She who had everything they didn't.

She'd die for them. And do it all over again, if she had to.

"Take my life, spare them." She closed her eyes, not able to look at her death.

A chuckle. A deep grating chuckle. Sounded like large rocks thrown to each other, and the sound of doors opening hits her hearing. And she opened her eyes to look at Issei.

And she saw the Dragon Weilder already on the doorstep of her clubroom, ready to leave with a small smile. He turned his head to look at her lensed eyes. Ember orbs which held hate, now glowed softly.

"Slow, but a good start it is." He began, vouce still deep and guttural. "You have made the right choice. In choosing yourself, you have proven me wrong." Cryptic answer, the type which she hated the most. With the currently frazzled state of mind, she cannot decipher the meaning. And it irks her.

What? What the fuck? What happened? Didn't he tried to kill her not a moment ago?

"The Dragon aren't happy with you. That's a given." His right, now ungauntleted hand reached for the knob. "You don't say a Dragon owed you, until said Dragon have stated so." His smile wasn't feral anymore. It was soft, respectful even.

This isn't the Dragon, it's the Wielder.

"For your offer, I deeply thank you for you kindness. But I have to refuse." His glowing eyes dimmed until it turned into a brown humanlike orb. "I intended not to involve myself in this supernatural stuffs. It gives me quite a headache." He chuckled with a small mirh in those brown orbs.

She can only gape wordlessly.

"Stop acting like a King, and start to be like one." Was his words before the doors closed, leaving her a gaping mess of a Devil.

What exactly happened here? Did the Dragon gave up? Did the boy override the Dragon's control? What?

"Ugghh.." A groan from beside her quickly snapped her into attention. Looking at the source, she found her Queen, Akeno with a nasty bump on her head, and a dazed expression.

"Rias?" The uncertainty in that voice was something rare. "What happened?" Violet orbs focused at her form with wonderment.

She shook her head, looked at the doors and turned her gaze to the dazed girl.

"I don't know.."

Perhaps, the Dragon was messing with her. Perhaps it was having fun in breaking Devils.

Or maybe.. the Dragon is testing her. And she had a feeling that she had passed a certainly deadly test.

_BREAK_

"I'm home." He declared, tired and dizzy. He suddenly felt a few years older than he supposed to feel. Is this the feelings adults have to endure? This stressful day? This unending headache?

Holy shit, he wished he'd stay a teenager forever!

"Welcome home." Soft and mature, the voice is like the sound of flowing river in his stressed ear.

Yes, his ears are stressed out.. so are his brains. And his eyes.. Goddamned scalebag!

The sight of Rin wearing an apron greeted him. Oh, how he wanted to laugh. She looked like a perfect housewife. Since when did he have frilly aprons? He cooked often, but have never weared an apron before, opting to wear a black shirt to avoid any visible stains from showing.

She smiled, eyes soft and caring. "Hey, you." A greeting, that he replied with a small nod. She closed the distance between them. Now three feet apart, she gave him a warm smile.

"Long day?" Her casted arm in a neatly tied bandages didn't even faze the beauty that she radiated.

He nodded with a small hum and smile. This is so unfair! This is not supposed to happen! This goddamned warmth that seeped into his chest is making him uncomfortable! Dammit!

"I bought chocolates for you and Yuuma." He tried to hide his warm cheeks by looking downwards, he showed her the white plastic bag that contained the sweets. "I didn't know what the both of you preferred, so I just bought two of each type." He clarified sheepishly.

"Thank you. Both of us are craving for something sweet. No offense, but potato chips are getting too salty for our taste." She stated softly. "Come," she beckoned him inside. "Yuuma cooked meat stew and mushroom soup." She smiled at him. "It's scrumptious!"

He followed the girl into the dining room located within the kitchen, he slowed in small hesitant steps when he caught the scent of the dishes. It reminded him of the time where he'd return to the arms of his parents. The time where he held much innocence.

Time before he lost it all.

"Issei-kun?" Brown eyes snapped into attention and saw a smiling Rin sitting beside a lightly redfaced Yuuma. "All of this.." she motioned towards the food on the dining table with her chin. ".. are Yuuma-chan's hardwork." The Fallen Angel didn't even look at him, finding the plate infront of her more interesting, maybe?

He placed himself on the wooden chair, and took a small sniff of the air. A wide smile streched on his face. "I'm afraid, if the food is as good as it smelled, it won't be enough for all of us." He complimented. And Yuuma, exploded with a blush. But he could see her smile, serene and happy.

"Now, eat up, Issei-kun. Yuuma-chan had spent much of her effort to cook us these dishes. And it would taste bad if eaten cold." A smile, heartwarmingly soft.

He said his thanks, and ate. The stew was properly made, and the mushroom soup, though a bit salty, it was edible and they ate with a comfortable silence.

And he wondered, what in the name of hell is this warm feeling in his chest?

_Chapter 3 - Ends_

~Author's Note~

So.. I thought I uploaded this three days ago. It was 4 a.m in the morning, and I was terribly sleepy.. and I really thought that I have uploaded this chapter. But, it seems that I didn't..

To whoever that is waiting for this chapter.. I'm sorry. So very sorry. I have no excuses.

Now.. to the last chapter's review, I found that a person mentioned that him or her hated it. Xperion, yes?

Well, here I am to thank you for your time and the effort you have given to write that review. Don't you worry, I read them all.. hehehe

So, for the last chapter, we saw that The Welsh was stopped by Rin, and you thought that it was stupid. And the battlefield is not a place for feelings. Yes, you are right.

But, consider one thing, Rin was just a girl, who fell in love with Issei, yes? And it is the fact that if you fall in love, you'd see the person through rose tinted glass, no? And seeing Issei, or the Welsh trying to kill Kokabiel, had threatened the girl's view on Issei's perfect 'nice boy' picture she had for him. Thus, she denied the probability that Issei can and would kill someone. Yes.. the human mind works like that. Rejection, denials and lies are abundant in our minds. Even if we didn't notice it.

Sigh*

The more we know? Eh?

Does that explains it?

I hope so.. because I appreciate every single review all of you, readers of this fanfiction gave me. Be it good or bad, I appreciate the time you've spent to read, absorb and write me a review. Thank you.

Pairings are not yet carved in stone, I don't want to make a harem themed fic only to focus on a few of those who are involved in the harem. Yes.. this is a harem fic. No.. I am not a pervert.. maybe juust a tiny bit. No.. I won't write lemons.

Revan's suggestion are under consideration, I am finding a way to fit Kuroka into the harem, without making it look unnatural. I will try to focus on every aspect of the girls in the harem, and will try to make them un-cliche? Not cliche? Yeahh..

Issei isn't going to be a Devil. I want to make him different, and independent character. Making him a Devil would tie him up to a certain power, and a Dragon never obeys, they tolerate, never obeys.

But do forgive my mistakes and point them out for me. I am very, very new in writing these long term stories thingy. And it is unavoidable that I make minor or major mistakes that would slip through my eyes, yes?

Now! I accept critism, flame, etc. As long as it have constructive advice, I would accept it with arms wide open. For it would improve my writing skills and your reading experience.

To those who had reviewed, I thank you again for your time. Your reviews told me that people actually read this meager fic, and it warms my cold, black heart to know that.

As always, yeah?

Keep calm, and keep reading~

I meant keep on reading fics, there's a whole wide world of fanfictions. And keep reading those that caught your interest.. Like 'Demon among Devils' or 'Endgame ver.R' now I'm rambling.. shiett... 3.35 a.m... shieett.. ahahahaha~

Catch you all later, eh?

~Author's Note End~


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